[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING MICK GLEASON ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE KERN COUNTY BOARD OF 
                              SUPERVISORS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 15, 2020

  Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Kern County 
Supervisor and U.S. Navy Captain (ret.) Michael ``Mick'' Gleason. After 
35 years of service to his country and community, Mick is retiring from 
public service at the end of his current term on the Kern County Board 
of Supervisors.
  Mick was born in Nyack, New York and later moved to Haverhill, 
Massachusetts, where he ``unfortunately'' became a fan of all things 
Boston, including the New England Patriots. In 1972, Mick graduated 
from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree in Business 
Administration and enlisted in the United States Navy. Later in 1999, 
he enrolled in the Naval Postgraduate School and earned a master's 
degree in Astronautical Engineering. During his time in the Navy, Mick 
became Commanding Officer of Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China 
Lake, located in Ridgecrest, California, which is what led him and his 
wife, Robynn, to Kern County, in 2004. He served as the NAWS China Lake 
Commanding Officer for 2 years.
  After retiring from the Navy, Mick decided to continue his public 
service and successfully ran for and was elected to the Kern County 
Board of Supervisors, being sworn-in as the 1st District Supervisor in 
2013. Over his tenure on the Board, Mick has been a consistent advocate 
for eastern Kern County, touting the importance of and opportunities 
related to the region's economic strengths and highly educated 
workforce, fighting to attract more and diversified businesses to the 
area. He has also helped lead the County response through difficult 
times, from the Erskine Fire to the July 2019 earthquakes that damaged 
Ridgecrest and NAWS China Lake. He has also been a vociferous advocate 
for NAWS China Lake, knowing that a healthy and robust mission at the 
base translates to the Ridgecrest community. And, Mick has never shied 
away from working on controversial, but important issues from reforming 
the Kern Medical Center to spear heading water conservation in the 
Indian Wells Valley following enactment of a state law on groundwater 
sustainability.
  Over the years, Mick has been a good friend and advisor with his 
pulse on the Ridgecrest and northeastern Kern County. Using the skills 
he developed during his time in the U.S. Navy, Mick has always 
impressed me with his acumen, including the ability to quickly weigh 
issues, size-up the impacts to the community, and make a decision. And 
for anyone who knows Mick, once he makes a decision, he doggedly 
follows through working to persuade and promote the policy in his 
trademark accent--a combination of the Boston, Kern County, and western 
lexicons, with a smattering of military jargon thrown in for good 
measure--which is renown throughout our community.
  I thank Mick for his years of service to our community, both as the 
Commanding Officer of NAWS China Lake and later as a Kern County 
Supervisor. Although Mick is taking a step back from his role in public 
service, I am confident that he will continue to lend his time and 
expertise to many of the causes that he holds dear. I wish him well as 
he begins this new chapter of his life, and I know that he is looking 
forward to spending more time with Robynn, and their three sons, Wes, 
Paddy, and Jeff, and their families.

                          ____________________