[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 188 (Thursday, December 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE CAREER OF MAYOR RICHARD FREY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2011

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and 
accomplishments of a distinguished public servant and friend, the Mayor 
of the City of Dunkirk, New York, the Honorable Richard Frey.
  With a long career in the private sector--and distinguished wartime 
service in Korea, including earning the Purple Heart--before running 
for Mayor, Dick Frey has unquestionably been a hands-on Mayor for the 
residents of Dunkirk.
  Dick's key focus as Mayor was community revitalization and economic 
development, and he delivered for his constituents. On each example of 
progress you see in Dunkirk today--from waterfront development to the 
Dunkirk Boardwalk Market, from the SUNY Fredonia Incubator to the 
redevelopment of the vacant Crocker-Sprague building--you see Dick 
Frey's fingerprints. Through Dick's efforts, underutilized recreational 
parks and other brownfields throughout the city were turned into clean 
and development-ready sites.
  Never shy about fighting for his city, I first met Dick Frey in 2005, 
shortly after I took office representing Dunkirk and Chautauqua County 
as a Member of Congress, and I'll confess to being a little concerned. 
After all, Dunkirk and Chautauqua had not been represented in Congress 
by a Democrat in nearly a generation. But after our first meeting, two 
things were clear: number one, Dick Frey was a man of his word who 
passionately cares about the constituents he served; number two, Dick 
Frey cares about people, and not politics.
  Dick once said in an interview with the Dunkirk Observer newspaper, 
``As far as politics go, you can expect to leave politics at the door 
when dealing with [people's] concerns.'' That statement embodies my 
experience with him completely. Though we come from different political 
sides of the aisle, politics was never an issue between us. We both 
represented the same people--the hard-working folks in the city of 
Dunkirk--and we each had a responsibility to deliver for them.
  Now as his wife Pat and their large extended family will welcome Dick 
back to them after loaning him, his time and attention to the city and 
its residents for the past ten years, we wish them good luck as Dick 
leaves active civic life for a much deserved respite.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for allowing me a few moments to commemorate 
the service of one of the most honorable public servants that I have 
had the good fortune to know. I am thankful all the more, however, to 
call Dick Frey my friend, and to wish him Godspeed in all of his future 
endeavors.

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