[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 46 (Monday, March 24, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E426-E427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE LEADERSHIP OF LINDA W. CHAPIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 24, 2014

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, in honor of Women's History 
Month, to recognize former Orange County Mayor Linda Chapin. A Florida 
native, Ms. Chapin holds a Bachelor's Degree from Michigan State 
University. Ms. Chapin served as the first elected mayor of Orange 
County, Florida, from 1990-1998.
  After leaving office, she joined the University of Central Florida 
where she founded the Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies, which 
focuses on issues facing the region such as growth, the environment, 
and transportation. Today she serves on a number of civic and community 
boards, and is Chairman of the Orlando Health Board of Directors.
  As Orange County Mayor, Ms. Chapin took a strong role in promoting 
business and industry in Central Florida by developing an economic 
action agenda that included annual regional economic summits; 
incentives for high-technology companies; and trade missions to Europe, 
Asia, and Latin America. Under her

[[Page E427]]

leadership, Orange County was the first county in Florida to mandate 
that attention to economic development be included in its local 
comprehensive plan. In 2004, she became the first woman to receive the 
James B. Greene Economic Development Award from the Metro Orlando 
Economic Development Commission.
  Ms. Chapin's tenure in public office also included the construction 
of the nation's second-largest convention center, a new courthouse, the 
Regional History Center, fifteen new parks and recreational trails, and 
the purchase of over twelve thousand acres of environmentally sensitive 
lands. In an effort to work with citizens to redevelop historically 
neglected neighborhoods, Ms. Chapin began the Targeted Community 
Initiative. President Clinton awarded the Initiative the 1997 Public 
Service Excellence Award for the best local government program in the 
country. At the conclusion of her final term in elected office, the 
Orlando Sentinel described Ms. Chapin as ``a model of integrity and 
character.''
  In 1999, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University named 
Ms. Chapin Distinguished Alumni of the Year, and the University of 
Central Florida awarded her an honorary doctoral degree. She currently 
serves on the Board of Directors for the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts 
Center, the Trust for Public Lands, and myregion.org. A committed 
proponent of citizen involvement and the need to build social capital 
and confidence in public decision-making, Ms. Chapin has published 
articles in the National Civic Review and other social policy journals.
  I am happy to honor Linda Chapin, during Women's History Month, for 
her leadership and contributions to the Central Florida community.

                          ____________________