[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE SPIRITED LEADERSHIP OF DEBBIE MacCOY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 19, 2022

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to shine a bright light on 
the ultimate example of leadership set by a resident of eastern 
Connecticut's second district, Debbie MacCoy. For more than six years, 
Debbie has been on the front lines of the crumbling foundations crisis 
affecting the State of Connecticut, and now we know, the State of 
Massachusetts as well. Throughout this crisis, Debbie has acted as a 
leading figure on the issue, dedicating countless hours in advocacy, 
education, and communication with local, state, and federal leaders, 
leading researchers, and international communities impacted by similar 
crises. Debbie has operated as a volunteer throughout this entire 
period and will soon retire from her role as one of the preeminent 
community advocates on this issue.
  In part due to Debbie's leadership, hundreds of families have now 
been able to remain in their home with a remodeled foundation, with 
thousands more in the pipeline.
  Organizing purely from a grassroots level, Debbie left her career of 
more than 30 years to allow the time necessary to focus on the issue of 
crumbling foundations. Each week, she has poured through correspondence 
from homeowners writing to her under duress seeking guidance or 
assistance.
  Madam Speaker, it is an honor to represent constituents as dedicated 
as Debbie. I have had the privilege of knowing her personally for many 
years and can attest to her compassion for others and her high ethical 
standards in the way she conducts herself in the community. If it were 
not for advocates like her, there would be far fewer solutions 
available to those affected by this crisis. I am grateful for Debbie's 
fierce example of altruism and her decades-long friendship. To that 
end, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in memorializing 
Deborah MacCoy's efforts, setting them further into stone and thanking 
her for all those who have benefitted from those efforts. Debbie will 
forever be a ``concrete queen'' for Connecticut residents. I thank her.

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