[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF JOHN SEYBERT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2018

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor John Seybert who is leaving 
the city council of Redwood community, he has served as a councilmember 
since 2009. He also served as Mayor from 2015 to 2017. His public 
service began in 2001 when he joined the Planning Commission. When the 
Great Recession arrived, John stepped up to the challenge as he joined 
the city council and was immediately confronted with difficult choices 
to make in the city's budget. His candidacy for council was a very 
important act of leadership during a time of great stress.
  John is passionate about people, buildings, and the quality of life 
of city residents. He initially moved to Redwood City to lead the 
development of housing for his then-employer, and he never departed 
from that commitment to people and their basic needs. Under the 
leadership of John and his fellow councilmembers, they devised a way to 
encourage housing development in the downtown that has led to an 
increase of thousands in the city's core.
  Where once the city's downtown was known locally for its bleak 
storefronts and failing attractions, today's downtown Redwood City is 
vibrant, bustling and attractive to families and to young people alike. 
From the major cinema to the history museum to the entry of major 
employers such as Box.com, John has played a decisive role in ensuring 
that Broadway moved from darkened storefronts into a blaze of 
prosperous businesses and nighttime lights and joyous visitors.
  I want to note that it takes an especially dedicated local official 
to join the board of directors of a wastewater treatment entity. John 
joined with relish and brought his building experience to bear on the 
board of the Silicon Valley Clean Water Agency. During his service, 
major upgrades of the system were commenced or completed and the 
agency's finances remained sound despite the challenges of a recession 
and the ever-present threat of litigation.
  John also served on the council's utilities committee, personnel 
committee, city-owned property committee, and the 101/Woodside Road 
Interchange Committee. He served on the Airport Land Use Committee, the 
Belmont/Redwood Shores School District Committee, and on the board of 
our local housing nonprofit, HEART.
  In his regular work, John is the facilities manager for our public 
transit agency, SamTrans. His professional and public work are only 
made possible by the support of his wife, Donna, as well as his 
daughters Jessi, Heather and Megan, and his granddaughter, Molly. 
John's life is full by any measure.
  As we take the measure of departing city councilmember John Seybert, 
I want to note that he's been a thoughtful and respectful colleague and 
representative. It may be difficult to serve in public life during our 
modern era, but John has demonstrated that service may be performed in 
such a manner as to build the public's confidence in the institution of 
local government. The residents of Redwood City and the county owe John 
Seybert thanks for his example, and we wish him well as he removes 
himself from the dais to begin the next phase of his life, that of 
private citizen deeply dedicated to the public's best interests.

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