[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 176 (Tuesday, October 13, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E953-E954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF JOHN PATRICK MULLINS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 13, 2020

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor John Patrick Mullins, who 
is retiring as Assistant City Manager and who served the

[[Page E954]]

town of Hillsborough, California, for more than 17 years in various 
roles. To all of those roles, he applied exemplary commitment and 
passion, always resulting in improvements for the town and its 
residents. If there was a job Hillsborough needed to get done, John was 
the man to ask.
  John started his public service in February of 2003 as Building 
Inspector I, working closely with homeowners and contractors to ensure 
safety and adherence to building codes. In 2004, he was promoted to 
Building Inspector II and in 2006 to Chief Building Official. In that 
role, John demonstrated remarkable leadership and mentorship passing on 
his passion for service and his superb knowledge of the town. He was 
instrumental in streamlining the permitting process and improving the 
image of the building division. He developed a model Green Building 
Ordinance and was the master architect of a customer relations 
management system that made communication and access to information 
easy and effective.
  Frequently serving in interim positions, John always bridged 
transitions and helped out where he was needed. He was the Acting 
Public Works Director, Interim Assistant City Manager and Acting City 
Manager. No matter his position, he approached it with enthusiasm and 
injected a sense of collaboration and team spirit.
  John came to public service from the building trades. He graduated 
from Skyline College with an Associate's Degree in Building Technology 
and began his career as a carpenter, plumber and electrician in 1977. 
He worked in residential and commercial construction until 1995, when 
the City of South San Francisco hired him to coordinate the aircraft 
noise insulation program. I speak from personal experience in my 
Congressional Office when I say that solving the problem of airplane 
noise and its detrimental impact on human health is not an easy task. 
John fully immersed himself in the issue and subsequently served as a 
Combination Building Inspector for South San Francisco's Fire/Economic 
and Community Development Building Division.
  It is obvious from his work history that John is a hands-on guy and 
knows how to turn ideas into tangible objects. In his free time, he 
volunteers his talent and time to Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding 
Together Peninsula and, very fortunate for Hillsborough, the 
Beautification Foundation. He has been instrumental in building and 
maintaining more than 145 parks, parklets and medians, including 
Harvest Garden, Town Hall campus, the Veterans Memorial, the police 
station, two fire stations and five school sites. He is also an 
outstanding event organizer working behind the scenes to make 
everything go smoothly. He has worked on signature events such as Geri 
Lane Halloween, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Light Up the Town and the 
Centennial Celebration.
  Other areas in which John has extensive knowledge are emergency 
preparedness, safety and technology. That has made him an invaluable 
asset to the town and prepared town staff for any emergency. In his 
capacity as Assistant City Manager, he served as the town's risk 
manager handling insurance and claims with the IJPA-PLAN and providing 
safety programs. He managed the town's information technology program 
by finalizing the IT Strategic Plan, implementing the council chamber 
upgrade, security and hardware improvements, updating the website and 
improving connectivity in different departments. John also served on 
regional committees including the Airport Noise Committee and SAMCAT, 
and he supported sustainability projects related to solar and lighting 
and community concerns such as pesticides, leaf blowers, right of way 
issues and park use regulations.
  In his well-deserved retirement, John is looking forward to enjoying 
more time with his wife Melissa and their daughters Lauren and Kailey. 
We thank them for sharing him with the residents of Hillsborough, who 
have greatly benefited from his expertise, dedication and hard work.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing John Patrick Mullins, an 
outstanding public servant who I have admired and whose contributions 
will continue to shine and reflect the welcoming and innovative 
character of our town. I am confident we will see his familiar face at 
many parades, picnic and parties for years to come.

                          ____________________