[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 28, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF MAYOR JIM RIDENOUR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 28, 2012

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and the deepest 
respect that I ask you to join me in honoring one of the Central 
Valley's most distinguished citizens, Mayor Jim Ridenour, as he ends 
his successful tenure as the Mayor of Modesto, California.
   Mayor Ridenour epitomizes what is best about Modesto and has shown a 
selfless commitment to his community. A life-long resident of Modesto, 
Mayor Ridenour had a successful business career in the ambulance 
industry. He served five terms as Chairman of the California Ambulance 
Association, and received many awards and honors from the association 
and state legislators. He also served as a reserve deputy sheriff for 
Stanislaus and Santa Barbara counties.
   During his eight years in office, Mayor Ridenour has shown a 
tireless commitment to help Modesto enrich and empower its citizens, 
families, businesses and schools. He has shown leadership in 
encouraging regional cooperation on important issues through 
initiatives such as the ``Mayor's Working Group'' which brings together 
the nine Mayors of Stanislaus County to share information and work 
together on central issues such as transportation. With the City 
Council's diligent work, he has provided leadership in consistently 
developing a balanced budget and in doing so has put Modesto in a far 
better financial position than many other cities in the surrounding 
area.
   Mayor Ridenour has strived to make local government more user-
friendly and accessible to the citizens of Modesto. He created a web-
based citizen action center where citizens can report problems, ask 
questions and track responses and response times. He has also made 
applications for citizens' advisory committees available online. Mayor 
Ridenour has made an effort to make local government more transparent 
by developing a comprehensive Salary & Compensation webpage where the 
public can view Councilmembers' pay, Charter Officer contracts and pay, 
Department Director pay as well as all salary schedules and job 
descriptions as well as labor contracts. He has always been described 
as a man of the people.
   Mayor Ridenour assumed an important leadership role as the President 
of the League of California Cities in 2010, a critical time for 
California's cities. As President and in his subsequent service as a 
member of the League's executive committee, Mayor Ridenour proved to be 
a powerful player in the fight for redevelopment and California's 
future.
   Mayor Ridenour is married to his beautiful wife Renee for forty 
years and together they have three children and numerous grandchildren.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating my 
good friend, Mayor Jim Ridenour and the Ridenour family as he 
celebrates his successful service as Modesto's Mayor.

                          ____________________