[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 214 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF PAT McGRAIL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 17, 2020

  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Pat 
McGrail as he concludes over twenty years of public service, retiring 
as the longest-serving Mayor in the history of Keller, Texas.
  Mayor McGrail's tenure prioritized a broad spectrum of 
accomplishments to build community and enhance Keller's overall quality 
of life. Mr. McGrail's Public Safety initiatives helped Keller earn 
national accreditation and honors, including consistent recognition as 
one of the safest communities in the country. These efforts included 
expansion of the Police station and the outdoor warning system, as well 
as construction of the new Fire Station 1 and renovations to the 
existing fire stations. His leadership helped secure approval of the 
Town's first Crime Control & Prevention District, and arrange regional 
partnerships with neighboring cities, including 911 dispatch, jail, 
municipal court and animal control services that served to meet 
community needs in a creative and cost-savings manner.
  Mr. McGrail's service reached beyond Public Safety to build and 
improve a number of other important municipal facilities and public 
assets. Early in his public life, he celebrated the opening of Keller's 
Town Hall as Councilman McGrail, the first of many facilities he would 
help deliver first-hand. Keller's Municipal Service Center and Public 
Library were two additional high-profile investments made during his 
service to the community, He was also among the critical Town 
leadership establishing The Keller Pointe fitness and aquatics center 
and realizing the new Keller Senior Activities Center with its recent 
groundbreaking. Additionally, several parks and trails have opened or 
been improved, such as Bear Creek Park, preserving the natural beauty 
of the area and adding to current and future recreational opportunities 
for local citizens.
  Mayor McGrail has led the town through natural and economic 
challenges, including floods, recessions and the current COVID-19 
pandemic. Throughout these immediate leadership tests, he has remained 
aware of the Town's future needs. A long-standing proponent of road and 
utility infrastructure investment, Mr. McGrail has sought to support 
the needs demanded of the growing North Texas communities while 
protecting public and private property from the natural events all 
well-managed Texas communities have learned to expect.
  Through his decades of service, Mayor McGrail has experienced the 
celebrations, satisfaction, frustrations, and sharp elbows all in 
public service come to know. His vision, perseverance and dedication 
have left a permanent mark, supporting and enhancing the quality of 
life to lead Keller to national recognition among the Best Small Cities 
in America. On behalf of the 26th Congressional District, I wish him, 
his wife Pauline, and his family much joy in his next endeavors. Keller 
is a stronger, better Town because of your service.

                          ____________________