[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 100 (Friday, June 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E853-E854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  UPON THE OCCASION OF THE RETIREMENT OF KEVIN MILLER, CITY MANAGER, 
                              FOSTER CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 15, 2018

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Kevin Miller as he 
retires from his position as City Manager of Foster City. Mr. Miller 
has served as a city employee for a total of 33 years. He began in the 
Parks and Recreation Department and, for 23 years, was Director of that 
department. For the past three years, he's been City Manager. 
Throughout this time, Kevin Miller has been an outstanding example of 
candor and thoughtfulness in public service.
  Foster City is a community of 34,000 people located on the shores of 
San Francisco Bay. It is a jewel, with waterways throughout and a 
culture of physical fitness and activity that would make an Olympic 
athlete feel at home just going to the local Starbucks. Residents can 
be found jogging along the levee in the pre-dawn hours, swimming at 
Gull Park on a Saturday morning, and playing at the assorted soccer, 
tennis, and baseball facilities throughout the year. The city's website 
lists 5 parks in a community of 20 square miles. The only thing missing 
from this exciting community is a bobsled track-Foster City lacks even 
a molehill, let alone any genuine inclined land.
  Former Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Miller, backed by 
countless active citizens and city council members, is a key reason 
that this city pulses with athletic joy and energy. He led the charge 
to create these facilities and to nurture them over decades. He 
envisioned public places where families could relax or explore or yell 
and shout. He found land where geese can roam and where rabbits still 
chew the grass in the early morning. When the Fourth of July fireworks 
soar over the city's waterways, its residents ply the lagoons and 
canals in tiny boats. Kevin Miller is a decades-long leader in the 
creation of opportunities for healthy celebration, adventure, and play.
  A few years back, a longtime City Manager retired and the City 
Council naturally selected Mr. Miller as the successor. It was an easy 
selection for a challenging time. The Foster City levee had just lost 
its accreditation by FEMA, and suddenly the person at the tip of the 
organizational spear was forced to confront a project that eventually 
penciled out to $90 million. In the past few weeks, the voters 
confirmed the judgment of the city council, Kevin and other leaders on 
his team when 80 percent chose to fix the levee. Protecting lives

[[Page E854]]

and property is Job No. 1 of the City Council, the City Manager, and 
the highly respected public employees of Foster City.
  In addition to serving as City Manager and Parks and Recreation 
Director, Kevin Miller has participated in economic development, 
housing and other activities during his time in public service. He has 
the confidence of the business community because he runs a business-
like operation at city hall.
  It was many years ago that Kevin graduated from Chico State with a 
bachelor's degree in parks and recreation administration. He ultimately 
assumed statewide leadership positions in the Parks and Recreation 
Association, served on the county's library authority, and assumed 
positions of regional oversight.
  He now says that he wishes to spend more time with Loretta, his wife 
of 35 years, and their adult children, Jacqueline and Leslie. He's 
earned it, and we understand if he does more golfing in the future than 
he has in the past. However, he will be missed. If they could, even the 
seagulls would give thanks for his leadership because, despite 
admonishments by their parents to the contrary, children in the parks 
that Kevin created still love to feed the gulls.
  So let me take a moment to note these salutes to the thoughtfulness 
and professional judgment of Kevin Miller -from the children whose 
smiles he helped to nurture, from the parents whose homes he helped to 
secure, from the city employees whose spirits he elevated, from the 
public safety personnel he strongly supported, from the city 
councilmembers whose confidence he earned, and from the wildlife who 
eat well because Kevin left room for their needs when he planned public 
spaces.
  Mr. Speaker, Kevin Miller is the John Philip Sousa of public 
management. The public is inspired by his work, and he'll leave this 
chapter of his life with everyone who knows him tapping their toes and 
moving to his beat as he goes through the door.

                          ____________________