[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 4, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING STEVEN KINSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 4, 2017

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Steven 
(Steve) Kinsey as he retires from the Marin County Board of Supervisors 
after serving the people residing in the Fourth District, and Marin 
County, with exceptional distinction for nearly 20 years. Throughout 
his tenure, Supervisor Kinsey has been steadfast and passionate in his 
pursuit of social equity, protection of the agricultural landscape and 
historic ranching community in West Marin, and improved transportation 
infrastructure and services, among many other noble causes. Most 
importantly, he has been productive through the decades, accomplishing 
many victories for the people and places of Marin.
  Born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1952, Supervisor Kinsey earned his 
B.A. in Architecture from Arizona State University. He moved to Forest 
Knolls in 1978 where he raised a family, owned and operated his own 
design/build business for 18 years, and volunteered in the community. 
As a member of the Marin Conservation League Board of Directors, he was 
recognized for promoting water conservation strategies and advocating 
for a Bayland Corridor to increase protections for bayside wetlands. A 
stalwart public school advocate, he secured for the Lagunitas School 
District funds for facilities improvements and school-based health and 
support services for its students and families.
  Elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1996, Supervisor Kinsey took 
office on January 7, 1997, and served for five terms, representing all 
of the coastal areas of Marin County as well as several bay side 
communities. As an elected official, including five times as Board 
President, he focused on watershed and fishery restoration, sustainable 
agriculture, the integration of transportation and land use planning, 
and sound fiscal management. He championed the needs of children and 
families, and has worked closely with communities of color to reduce 
the barriers to equal opportunity.
  He served on the boards of numerous organizations including the Board 
of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the Metropolitan Transportation 
Commission, Marin Transit, and the Transportation Authority of Marin, 
which he chaired from 1998 to 2011. He joined the California Coastal 
Commission in 2011, was its chairman three times, and served on the 
board of the California State Coastal Conservancy.
  Under his leadership, Marin has become a national leader in biking 
and walking, including Safe Routes to School, and established the Bay 
Area Ridge Trail. During thirteen years as Chair of Marin's 
Transportation Authority and Congestion Management Agency, Supervisor 
Kinsey led Marin's efforts to improve mobility along the 101 corridor 
and throughout his district. Drawing on his consensus-building skills, 
he secured community support and funding for voter-highway improvements 
in the Twin Cities area, and extending the Sonoma Marin Area Rapid 
Transit (SMART) train to the ferry.
  It has been my honor and pleasure to join with Supervisor Kinsey to 
solve significant and complex community issues. From defeating the 
proposed expansion of Death Row at San Quentin State Prison in 2011, to 
procuring affordable housing in surplused U.S. Coast Guard facilities 
in West Marin, to crafting a long-term solution to traffic congestion 
in Muir Woods and Muir Beach, to fighting to protect continued historic 
ranching families in Point Reyes National Seashore, and to ensuring the 
upcoming SMART system reaches its intended breadth of service up and 
down the line, Supervisor Steve Kinsey has been a tireless strategic 
and practical thinker, and an effective civic representative.
  Steve Kinsey's legacy is one of dedicated service to the environment 
and health and well-being of Marin County. Please join me in 
congratulating him on his retirement, expressing deep appreciation for 
his long and exceptional career and outstanding contributions 
throughout the County, and wishing him well in his next adventure.

                          ____________________