[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 115 (Thursday, July 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E735-E736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING BRUCE WARNER'S PUBLIC SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 1, 2021

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a distinguished 
citizen of my state of Oregon. Bruce Warner has spent his life in 
public service in a significant variety of roles.
  Today, Bruce steps down after ten years as Board President of the 
TriMet Board of Directors, which is my region's major transit district. 
During that time, he oversaw successful labor negotiations, a 
commitment to transition to zero-emission buses, the construction of a 
new light rail line, and the hiring of executives, managers, and 
employees that reflect the greatest number of people of color in a 
public agency in Oregon.
  His devotion to serving his community is truly exceptional.
  He was born in Fork, Washington and raised in Port Angeles. He 
graduated from the University of Washington in civil engineering, and 
while he is a Husky fanatic, we have never held that against him. He is 
an Oregonian not by birth but by heart.
  He began his career as a young civil engineer designing parks and 
culverts before

[[Page E736]]

quickly moving to Portland where he worked for the Army Corp of 
Engineers. Living far from work in distant South East Portland, Bruce 
rode a bus to work. He says that experience began shaping his thinking 
on transportation, equity, land use, and social responsibility. How 
transportation is provided as a service became part of his life-long 
critical examination.
  He started as a City Engineer for Hillsboro Oregon and then was 
elevated to the director of Washington County's Land Use and 
Transportation. Again, ideas of equity, fairness, land use, and 
transportation continued to churn in his mind.
  It came as a shock to many when, as the new director of the Oregon 
Department of Transportation Region One, he moved headquarters from a 
suburb to a regional center in downtown Portland. And, he limited 
employee parking and encouraged the use of transit instead. Transit 
over traffic. Pretty revolutionary for a leader who oversees freeways 
and highways to make a land use decision based on transit opportunities 
and equity for employees and the public.
  He took a brief sojourn from ODOT to lead the solid waste efforts at 
our regional government and because of his tremendous talents, quickly 
became Metro's Chief Operating Officer.
  He was then tapped by the governor and state legislature to lead the 
Oregon Department of Transportation. His service was remembered as a 
healing time for the agency with the legislature and closing the urban/
rural divide.
  He planned on retiring from ODOT, but was recruited to become the 
director of the Portland Development Commission where he supported 
small business development programs for communities of color; light 
rail construction in downtown; and one of his proudest achievements, 
the creation of affordable housing.
  He tried to retire once again, but duty called. He was asked to be 
the temporary Hillsboro City Manager.
  Oregon's governor most recently tapped Bruce to chair the TriMet 
Board of Directors. Under Bruce's leadership, TriMet built the Orange 
Line with the stunning Tilikum Crossing and using a historic number of 
minority certified contractors. Also, under construction currently is 
the Division Transit Project employing the largest minority contract 
award in Oregon's history.
  During his free time, Bruce serves on boards of the Volunteers of 
America and Helping Hands, helping people in recovery.
  A calming influence, famous for bringing people together, and 
settling problems, this leader is still trying to retire. It won't 
surprise me if he is tapped again. But until that time, I thank Bruce 
Warner.

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