[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 118 (Friday, July 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1237-E1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN TRIBUTE TO JENNY CONTOIS

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2014

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with deep gratitude to pay 
tribute to a colleague, a friend, and a trusted deputy, Jenny Contois, 
who retired last month after serving seven and half years as my 
District Director in Connecticut's Second District.
  Even more than a traditional District Director for a Member of the 
House, I considered Jenny to be a Co-Member of Congress. Whenever I was 
called to Washington for legislative duty, I had unshakable confidence 
in Jenny's abilities to handle all challenges in Connecticut. Jenny's 
executive experience, honed over 15 years as First Selectwoman of 
Colchester prepared her to lead my Connecticut office and to expand her 
area of responsibility from one town to 64 towns of the Second 
District.
  Jenny combined a passionate commitment to public service with an 
unshakable determination to solve problems that lay before her. When it 
came to finding a loan for a struggling small business, securing a 
rural development grant for a town in need, badgering a recalcitrant 
federal agency to fulfill a previous obligation, or begging and 
borrowing to get an Army Corps boat to dredge a coastal harbor, Jenny's 
tenacity was unparalleled and her success rate unmatched.
  At no time did Jenny shine brighter than during a crisis. Whether in 
the aftermath of a winter storm that left residential and commercial 
power lines down or in the wake of a summer storm that brought 
extensive flooding to our shores, Jenny rose to the challenge time and 
time again. Immediately after a blizzard or tempest hit, Jenny would 
work by my side to rally fellow municipal leaders and emergency 
responders to expedite the assessment and repairs. After the storms 
subsided, she worked painstakingly with families and businesses to help 
them secure the recovery funds and assistance they so desperately 
needed.
  She accomplished all of this with a winning smile and a hearty laugh. 
By the time that her seven and a half years as District Director had 
concluded, Jenny in many ways had evolved from the First Selectwoman of 
Colchester to the First Selectwoman of eastern Connecticut.
  This weekend, Jenny's many colleagues, friends, and family will 
celebrate her service to the Second District of Connecticut at a 
gathering in her hometown. Jenny will spend her duly earned retirement 
with her beloved husband Frank, her daughter Amy, and her latest 
arrival, her grandson Jack.
  I will miss Jenny's day-to-day counsel and friendship in the future, 
but I am heartened and grateful to remember her invaluable assistance 
in launching my new office almost eight years ago and achieving the 
success we had together.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in saluting one of 
eastern Connecticut's finest, Jenny Contois.

[[Page E1238]]



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