[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 55 (Thursday, April 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING RICHARD E. WINNIE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2011

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, Mr. Stark to 
honor the extraordinary life of Mr. Richard E. Winnie, a brilliant 
legal mind whose combination of integrity, acumen and good humor made 
him an outstanding public servant and invaluable in his role as County 
Counsel for the County of Alameda. With Richard E. Winnie's passing on 
March 28, 2011 at the age of 63, we look to the remarkable legacy of 
his life's work and the joy he inspired in his many friends and loved 
ones.
  Richard E. Winnie was born April 14, 1947 to Emily and H. Edward 
Winnie in Oakland, California. The family eventually settled in Eureka, 
California, where Richard attended high school. He graduated magna cum 
laude with a B.A. in Economics from Humboldt State University, HSU, 
received his master's degree in Public Policy at the University of 
California, Berkeley, and his law degree from the University of San 
Francisco. Mr. Winnie's early interest in civic service and local 
municipalities began while still a student at HSU in his work for the 
Eureka City Manager's office and the Associated Students Council.
  His next destination was Washington, DC, where from 1971 to 1977, he 
served the Urban Institute's State and Local Government Research 
Program as a policy analyst. During his time there, Mr. Winnie authored 
several publications on municipal government, one of which became the 
Institute's largest-selling published text.
  In 1975, Mr. Winnie was admitted to the California Bar. He returned 
to his roots to serve as Oakland City Attorney from 1981 to 1987, and 
also worked for the cities of Berkeley, Palo Alto, and Santa Rosa. For 
the next 6 years, he specialized in property, business and municipal 
law as a partner with Jacobs, Spotswood, Ryken, and Winnie, and in 1993 
began a 4-year stint as an advisor to the Government of Armenia in its 
transition to independence and a market economy. In fact, Mr. Winnie's 
penchant for international legal guidance had a global reach. Over the 
course of his career in the Bay Area, he also helped to develop local 
property laws for emerging governments throughout the South Caucases, 
Central Asia, Southeastern Europe, and small parts of South America and 
the Middle East.
  After specializing in public law as a partner of Oakland's Wendel, 
Rosen, Black, and Dean from 1994 to 1997, Mr. Winnie began his 13-year 
tenure as Alameda County's top legal advisor to the Board of 
Supervisors, County Administration and the Oakland-Alameda County 
Coliseum Authority. In his role as County Counsel, Mr. Winnie's many 
accomplishments included successful litigation to restrict gun shows at 
the Alameda County Fair, to allow public access to Oakland's 
waterfronts and to confront legal clashes with local professional 
sports teams. Among his many accolades and associations, Mr. Winnie 
served numerous local boards, was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court 
Bar, worked to promote micro-enterprise with the New America 
Foundation, and received HSU's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009.
  Richard E. Winnie was known for fostering mutual relationships of 
respect and pride among his talented staff and colleagues. In his legal 
dealings, he was skilled at eliciting an agreement through logic, 
diplomacy, and steady professionalism. And in his free time, he enjoyed 
being a youth mentor, an avid baseball fan, an accomplished mountain 
climber and a prolific party host. Mr. Winnie will be remembered as 
much for his ability to inspire people, as his ability to make them 
laugh.
  Today, the residents of California's 9th and 13th Congressional 
Districts salute and honor a stalwart member of our community and a 
dear friend, Mr. Richard E. Winnie. The countless contributions he made 
to others throughout his life are lasting and significant. We express 
our sincere condolences to his extended group of loved ones, friends 
and colleagues. He will be deeply missed.

                          ____________________