[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 149 (Thursday, October 15, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2563]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING HOLLAND CITY COUNCILMAN CRAIG RICH FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE 
                      ON THE HOLLAND CITY COUNCIL

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                          HON. PETER HOEKSTRA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 15, 2009

  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Madam Speaker, I rise here today to congratulate 
Councilman Craig Rich on many years serving on the Holland City 
Council.
  Craig Rich grew up in Holland where his family has lived since 1910. 
He is a 1972 graduate of Holland High School and holds a business 
degree from Davenport College. He and his father operated radio station 
WZND in Zeeland from 1971 through 1986. Since then he has been with the 
Grand Rapids Business Journal, a weekly business-to-business newspaper 
in Grand Rapids, as advertising sales consultant and sales manager.
  Craig was first appointed to the Holland City Council in 1982 at 28 
years old and has since been elected in 1983 and re-elected in 1985, 
1989, 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2005. Craig also served as Holland's Mayor 
ProTem from 1987 to 2007. His ward represents the true center of the 
city--bordered by 14th and 15th streets and Lake Macatawa on the north, 
24th street on the south, River, Michigan and Central avenues on the 
east and Graafschap Road on the west.
  Craig is the Council's liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the 
Board of Public Works. He is most proud of having decreased or 
maintained the general fund tax rate 17 times since being elected to 
office while, at the same time, maintaining or increasing the level of 
essential city services.
  In addition to his service on the City Council, Craig is active at 
Christ Memorial Reformed Church. He is a founding member of Michigan 
Shipwreck Research Associates and a ``master'' level SCUBA diver.
  He combines his love of local history and genealogy with scuba diving 
to research and document local area shipwrecks. He is the author of 
``For Those in Peril: Shipwrecks of Ottawa County'' due to be published 
in 2009.
  Craig and his wife Vickie have been married since 1975 and have two 
daughters; Allison, an English teacher in Florida, and Catherine, a 
student at Northern Michigan University.

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