[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF RICHARD CLINE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2018

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Richard Cline as he 
concludes his service on the City Council of Menlo Park. He leaves a 
record of passionate commitment to the priorities of housing, 
transportation and education.
  A few years ago, as the economy was finally recovering, Councilman 
Cline and I visited a large development for seniors. It sits on a main 
entrance to the Belle Haven neighborhood. Sequoia Belle Haven offers 90 
deeply discounted apartments to seniors, plus amenities such as 
organized events and access to public transit. It is a model that 
reflects the commitment of the entire city to its elderly, low income 
population. Councilman Cline was very proud, and rightfully so. As a 
member of the council, he knew many long-time Menlo Park residents who 
would benefit by moving to this new development.
  He was also very enthusiastic about building housing at the site of 
an abandoned school located in Menlo Park. It appears that the district 
and the city have agreed that this would be a good site for faculty/
staff housing, and that the site has since been cleared in preparation 
for future development. During his 12 years on the council, he 
supported the revitalization of the downtown plan which included 
hundreds of new housing units.
  In Menlo Park, parks and recreation are treasured. Councilman Cline 
helped guide the city council during a period of significant 
construction on the Burgess Campus, the passage of bonds for a sports 
field, and construction of an ever-expanding bike lane system.
  The City of Menlo Park is blessed with exploding economic 
development. As a councilmember who sat on the council through the 
Great Recession and who had to make very painful cuts to the city's 
budget in order to deliver balanced budgets for 10 of his 12 years of 
service, Rich Cline has seen both sides of the economic cycle. He 
supported tiered pensions for sustainability and worked hard with his 
colleagues to ensure that prudent reserves were created during times 
when property and sales taxes rise.
  He advocated for smart growth along transportation corridors and for 
mitigations to the Facebook development that would put housing closer 
to the campus, create shuttles, and potentially reactivate a rail line 
across the bay to reduce vehicle traffic. At some point, long-
anticipated improvements to the Willow Road overcrossing will be 
finalized. While Rich Cline will not be on the council when the 
intersection is opened, his support was vital to ensuring that this 
community-wide benefit is implemented.
  In his elections to the council, he was variously supported by the 
Sierra Club and labor, community leaders and businesses. Rich Cline is 
a pragmatist and a respectful leader, which is part of the reason that 
his colleagues elected him Mayor of Menlo Park on three separate 
occasions.
  As he retires from the council to concentrate on his business and 
family, we want to thank his wife Julie, and their three children, 
Maria, Chiara and Gina, for allowing Rich to spend so much time on 
public affairs during these three terms on the council. He will be 
missed as he leaves an indelible impact on Menlo Park. His service is 
an excellent example of the quality of local leadership that exists in 
San Mateo County, and of the strength of democracy in cities throughout 
America.

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