[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 164 (Wednesday, September 22, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H4867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING BOB STACEY'S DISTINGUISHED CAREER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, Portland Metro Councilor Bob Stacey 
announced he is going to retire next month. To say Bob is an unsung 
hero is true only for those who were never privileged to work with Bob 
or watch him in action. He is a hero in every sense of the word and the 
quintessential champion for livability in our community--and not just 
for Oregon--because his long and distinguished career earned him a 
national reputation.
  I have had the special privilege to work with Bob in every facet of 
his distinguished career. As a young legislator, he worked to enact 
Oregon's landmark land use legislation; and Bob, as a young attorney 
for the One Thousand Friends of Oregon, fought to establish and protect 
Oregon's iconic land use legislation with pioneers like Henry Richmond, 
Dick Benner, and Richard Whitman--true Oregon pioneers. His work put 
him into direct conflict with the cult, the Rajneeshees, who at that 
point had taken over the central Oregon town of Antelope. They actually 
tried to poison him as he had the courage to stand up for the integrity 
of local government and land use planning.
  When I was elected to the Portland City Council and became the 
commissioner of public works, Bob was my chief of staff helping to 
manage a diverse portfolio of critical bureaus including planning, 
transportation, and environmental services. He was director of the 
Portland Planning Bureau for over 5 years with landmark achievements 
including the Central City Plan and the Albina Community Plan during a 
very challenging time for the city financially. And Bob was respected 
and beloved by the planning bureau staff. He was tireless and creative.
  He spent a period of time in private practice I think just to figure 
out what it was like. He served as a special adviser to Governor 
Barbara Roberts. He was executive director at our regional 
transportation agency TriMet, director of planning and policy, and then 
he was executive director of the One Thousand Friends of Oregon, the 
watchdog group committed to protecting the integrity of our land use.
  He barely lost a race for the metro council president but then went 
on to serve three terms as a councilor where he was insightful and 
influential for our entire region. He has been a thought leader in all 
things that matter--environmental protection, land use, climate, 
traffic congestion, affordable housing, air quality, and economic 
development. He was always clear-eyed and visionary, but thoughtful, 
all while being one of the nicest people, Madam Speaker, you would ever 
want to meet.
  He is stepping down in a few days to deal with some health issues, 
and while I will miss him, it is important that he take care of 
himself.
  Oregon thanks Bob for an exemplary achievement in public service in 
his own quiet, thoughtful way. He has been a key part of all the 
important issues in our region for almost half a century, and I thank 
him for his lifetime of public service.

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