[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1644-E1645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF PETER OHTAKI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2018

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Peter Ohtaki of Menlo Park 
who is departing the city council after eight years in service to its 
residents. In 2010, Peter Ohtaki filed to run for the council. These 
were some of the worst years of the Great Recession, and the city's 
budget was in distress. It would have been easy for Peter to wait for a 
less challenging time to run, but instead he stepped up to serve his 
community. He came in first among six candidates for three seats. He 
was subsequently re-elected in 2014 and has served twice as Mayor.
  From 2007 through 2010, Peter was also elected to the Menlo Park Fire 
Protection District board of directors and served as the President in 
2010. Peter served on the Finance Committee and oversaw a balanced $32 
million budget at the district. With Peter's leadership and financial 
background, the district paid down 78 percent of its $13 million 
pension obligation, saving the district millions in interest costs.
  The recession of 2010 was a heavy blow to the city's finances, but 
since that time the recovery of the national economy has brought 
traffic to a standstill at commute hours. There are no easy or 
inexpensive choices regarding traffic in a city growing due to global 
innovation and the physical expansion of this globe's pre-eminent 
social media company, Facebook. As Peter Ohtaki noted, 80 percent of 
all traffic in the city neither begins nor ends within its borders.
  To improve mobility, he supported an undercrossing at the Ravenswood/
El Camino Real intersection so that residents could bypass the wait at 
Caltrain. He supported housing along the transit corridor and 
improvements to signs so that traffic would be less likely to cut 
through the Allied Arts and Belle Haven neighborhoods. He was a strong 
supporter of the Downtown Specific Plan that will allow the city's 
businesses and tax base to thrive. Residents may take a short drive 
downtown instead of going to surrounding communities for services.
  During his terms in office, Mayor Ohtaki was also known for his 
respect for all during public meetings, his commitment to community 
safety and improved emergency response capacities, his devotion to 
balanced budgets and prudent reserves, and his willingness to work with 
the fire protection district to enhance protection for all residents.
  Peter grew up in Menlo Park, attending both La Entrada Middle School 
and Woodside High School. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics, magna 
cum laude, from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford 
University's Graduate School of Business. Peter and his wife Julie have 
three children, Robby, Nicolee and Trey, in Menlo Park public schools. 
Now that he is leaving public life, he may spend more time with his 
family. We deeply appreciate their dedication to public life and are 
grateful that they allowed Peter to serve despite the sacrifices in 
time that every family endures when someone serves in public office.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of Menlo Park are highly educated, passionate 
about their beliefs, and deeply engaged in national and local public 
affairs. Peter is a stellar example of that. He may look back at where 
he started--with the budget in tatters and basic services in retreat--
and relish that he helped guide Menlo Park through recovery and into 
prosperity. I wish him well in his next adventure during the years 
ahead.

[[Page E1645]]

  

                          ____________________