[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 170 (Tuesday, December 3, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF BRANDT GROTTE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 3, 2013

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Brandt Grotte, who is 
retiring after eight years of service on the San Mateo City Council, 
two of them as mayor. Brandt has been a tireless advocate for 
environmental sustainability. He began his advocacy on the Planning 
Commission, where he served for five years, including one year each as 
chair and vice-chair.
  Brandt has many uncommon characteristics. For example, his hand is 
always going up when the question is asked, ``Would anyone like to . . 
.'' During his years on the council, Brandt Grotte served on the 
sustainability advisory committee, the Measure C committee that 
resulted in strengthening police and fire services, and he was the 
city's representative to the City/County Association of Governments.
  Brandt lives on the city's east side and knows the challenges that 
confront those neighborhoods. He took the lead in convincing his 
neighbors to assess themselves to fix serious flooding issues. He is 
passionate about his neighborhood, and thousands of homes were removed 
from the flood plain as a result of his leadership. Aside from homes no 
longer being threatened with flooding, these neighbors were relieved of 
the costs of paying for flood insurance.
  Even before he joined the city council, Brandt was active in 
neighborhood issues, starting in 1989. He is a founding member of the 
Shoreview-Parkside Neighborhood Association and president of the San 
Mateo United Homeowners Association. He is also a member of numerous 
committees, task forces and organizations, among them the Citizens 
Committee on Social Service Providers, the Bay Meadows Foundation, the 
City of San Mateo Citizens' Academy, and the Chamber of Commerce's 
Leadership Program. Clearly Brandt Grotte has a heart that is as big as 
the entire city of San Mateo, and he is universally viewed as a 
sincere, caring leader.
  Brandt was born in 1956 and grew up in communities all over the 
United States and abroad because his father was in the Air Force. It 
was this early international experience that he credits with teaching 
him sensitivity to other cultures, a skill that has served him well 
when developing policies and obtaining consensus in the diverse 
communities of San Mateo.
  Brandt attended Leland High School in San Jose and then earned his BA 
in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara in 1979. He received his 
Masters degree in Environmental Management from USF in 1996. He works 
as a global environmental safety and health manager in the electronics 
industry.
  Brandt is married to Kathy Shields and has two stepsons, Aaron and 
Kyle. In his spare time he enjoys reading.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
honor Brandt Grotte for his outstanding service to the residents of San 
Mateo. In Brandt we have the personification of the adage that still 
waters run deep. His strategic thinking and consensus-building skills 
will be missed, but his smile will always be present as he continues in 
other roles throughout our community.

                          ____________________