[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H612-H614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MARTIN G. ``MARTY'' MAHAR POST OFFICE

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4425) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 2-116th Street in North Troy, New York, as the 
``Martin G. `Marty' Mahar Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4425

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. MARTIN G. ``MARTY'' MAHAR POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2-116th Street in North Troy, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Martin G. `Marty' 
     Mahar Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Martin G. `Marty' Mahar Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. 
Foxx) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and add any extraneous materials.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page H613]]

  Madam Speaker, as chairman of the House subcommittee with 
jurisdiction over the United States Postal Service, I am pleased to 
present H.R. 4425 for consideration. This legislation if adopted will 
designate the United States Postal Service facility located at 2-116th 
Street in North Troy, New York, as the Martin G. ``Marty'' Mahar Post 
Office.

                              {time}  1415

  This legislation has been introduced by my colleague and friend 
Representative Paul Tonko of New York, and I would like to yield to him 
such time as he may consume in presenting this resolution.
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, Representative Lynch has been a big help in 
making certain that we could move forward with a request from one of my 
local communities. Obviously, we honor, by renaming the post office at 
116th Street in North Troy, the memory of Marty Mahar who served this 
country so well. Certainly he is a public servant who can be held up as 
a model for this Nation, one who has an outstanding track record of 
service to this Nation's military, taking and assisting the veterans as 
they return to our communities, working with them, having earned so 
much recognition and honor from his service to country. He was also 
just understood to be that voice for veterans who worked so steadfastly 
to make certain that they had a welcome home and that they were finding 
the services that were intended for them to be brought right to the 
doorstep.
  Also, he has so many distinguished bids of service. He is honored for 
his civic duties, the sense that he cherished Troy and cherishes Troy 
at the local and State levels, recognized as president of the New York 
State Association of City Councils, having served as a city council 
member of Troy and then eventually as mayor.
  All of these issues are why this recognition and the renaming of the 
post office is so worthy and so justified. He is a model for all. His 
dedication to this country and certainly his work servicing the Postal 
Service is just a sense of his love and devotion for Troy. The people 
of the community honor him in this very splendid fashion. They enable 
him to be held as that esteemed leader. And the work here done under 
H.R. 4425 is, I think, a very justified effort to rename the 116th 
Street post office in North Troy, which carries much pride to it--North 
Troy--the Martin G. ``Marty'' Mahar Post Office.
  And I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, Representative Lynch, 
again for the work done through the subcommittee and the committee to 
make this possible today. I would strongly encourage all of our 
colleagues to support H.R. 4425 with a resounding ``yes'' vote.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4425 which designates the facility of 
the United States Postal Service located at 2-116th Street in North 
Troy, New York, as the Martin G. ``Marty'' Mahar Post Office.
  Martin G. ``Marty'' Mahar was born and resided in Troy, New York, 
prior to World War II. After war was declared, he enlisted in the 
Marine Corps, where he served as a paratrooper in the Asiatic-Pacific 
theater. During his military service, he earned four Battle Stars, a 
Presidential Unit Citation, and a Purple Heart in recognition of the 
severe injuries that he sustained while fighting in Iwo Jima.
  After returning home to Troy from the war, Mr. Mahar worked for the 
United States Postal Service as a letter carrier for nearly 30 years 
and always stayed active within veterans organizations. His leadership 
and dedication led him to become a national service officer and a life 
member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, where he served as 
the organization's State legislative director. For his commitment to 
serving his country, he was also inducted into the New York State 
Senate Veterans Hall of Fame in its inaugural class.
  Apart from his time spent with veterans organizations, he had a 
desire to give back to his community of Troy. He was a driving force 
behind starting the Troy Patriots Pop Warner Football League, the Uncle 
Sam Parade Committee and the Troy Flag Day Parade. He was president of 
the New York State Association of City Councils. He served on the Troy 
City Council for 10 years and was then elected the mayor of Troy.
  Madam Speaker, Mr. Mahar's dedication to his country and the Troy 
community has been an inspiration. I ask my colleagues to support this 
resolution so that his community may remember his work for years to 
come.
  With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, Marty Mahar was truly an extraordinary 
American, and as my colleague has so eloquently described, his life was 
really a shining example of the possibilities of the American Dream. 
Marty Mahar, as has been noted, began his longstanding commitment to 
public service as a member of the United States Marine Corps during 
World War II. As a paratrooper in the Asiatic-Pacific theater, Mayor 
Mahar earned his four Battle Stars, as has been mentioned, through 
heroic service on the island of Iwo Jima. He received a Presidential 
Unit Citation and a Purple Heart in recognition of that service, and 
serious injuries were sustained during that combat. Mayor Mahar's 
meritorious service to our Nation was further recognized in December of 
2005 as he was inducted into the inaugural class of the New York State 
Veterans Hall of Fame, following his nomination by Senate Majority 
Leader Joseph Bruno.
  After his tour of duty in World War II, Mayor Mahar returned home to 
serve his community in a civilian capacity as a letter carrier for the 
United States Postal Service and a member of the National Association 
of Letter Carriers. It is fitting that this letter carrier will now 
have the local post office in North Troy named after him. I can think 
of no greater tribute to this man, as his active membership with the 
letter carriers spans 51 years.
  Following his tenure with the United States Postal Service, Mayor 
Mahar continued his commitment to serving his community as a highly 
regarded elected official. Specifically, Mayor Mahar's political career 
included service as a member of the Troy City Council for 10 years, 
deputy mayor of Troy for 2 years, and, ultimately, mayor of his beloved 
hometown from 1990 to 1991. Additionally, Mayor Mahar served on a 
variety of local community organizations and committees in fulfillment 
of his lifelong commitment to addressing the needs of America's 
military veterans and improving the lives of all Troy's citizens.
  Included among Mayor Mahar's various community service positions were 
his chairmanship of the City of Troy Veterans Committee, his membership 
on the Legislative Committee for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, his 
tenure as youth activities director for the Department of New York VFW, 
and his membership on the National World War II Monument Committee here 
in Washington, D.C. Mayor Mahar will forever be remembered by the city 
of Troy as the founder of the Troy Flag Day Parade, which many regard 
as the largest parade in the Nation in honor of the American flag.
  Madam Speaker, while, regrettably, Mayor Mahar passed away in October 
of 2007, his lifelong dedication to public service, to America's 
military veterans, and to the city of Troy will ensure that his legacy 
will never be forgotten. The life of Mayor Martin G. Mahar stands as a 
testament to public service, and it's my hope that we can honor this 
dedicated and remarkable American through the passage of this 
legislation to designate the North Troy post office in his honor.
  I have no further speakers on this side, but I will continue to 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of 
H.R. 4425 and yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. I thank the gentlelady from North Carolina for her 
remarks, and I encourage my colleagues to join with Mr. Tonko, the lead 
sponsor of this resolution, H.R. 4425.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4425.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

[[Page H614]]

  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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