[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 12, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JACK MALTESTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 2009

  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I acknowledge 
the passing, on May 1, 2009, of former San Leandro Mayor Jack 
Maltester. His colleagues have aptly described Jack as ``the most 
powerful small-town mayor in this country. None of us can duplicate 
what he did.''
  Jack Maltester transformed the face of San Leandro during his 20 
years of service as mayor from 1958 to 1978. Even as a private citizen, 
his influence remained strong in San Leandro, the city in which he was 
born in 1913.
  A printer by trade, Jack served an interim term on the council in the 
late 1940s. He won election to the council in 1956, was selected by the 
council as Mayor two years later, and became the city's first Mayor 
elected directly by the residents of San Leandro instead of the City 
Council.
  He was re-elected in 1966, 1970, and 1974 but was forced to leave 
office in 1978 after a voter approved two-term limit was enacted.
  While serving as San Leandro's chief executive, Jack was president of 
both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the League of California Cities. 
Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford appointed him to a federal 
commission five times.
  Jack remained active in San Leandro affairs until his death at age 
95. He founded The Sentinels, a group of local businessmen who provide 
support to local political candidates and ballot measures. He also 
served as President of the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce and 
President of the California League of Cities.
  He cultivated political talent, represented private real estate 
developers, served on the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum board and was 
a member of local civic and regional committees.
  I feel privileged to have known Jack. I treasure the opportunity I 
had to work with him during his tenure as the City of San Leandro's 
Chief Executive, and the relationship we maintained when he became a 
private citizen.
  I join the community of San Leandro in honoring Jack Maltester. He 
truly loved the city of his birth and gave it his all during his 
lifetime. His presence and contributions will be felt for years to 
come.

                          ____________________