[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 93 (Friday, May 27, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E561-E562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE THIRTY-SIX YEAR PUBLIC SERVICE CAREER OF ALEXANDRIA 
                        COUNCILWOMAN DEL PEPPER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 27, 2022

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Redella S. 
Pepper, the recently retired Councilwoman from Alexandria, Virginia, 
for her thirty-six years of dedicated public service.
  Ms. Pepper, known to many as Del, won her first election to 
Alexandria's city council in 1985 after serving as an aide to Mayor 
Charles Beatley. Once she ran for and won her seat on the council, she 
treated her office as a full-time job. As other council members have 
served diligently while maintaining other commitments, Del Pepper's 
sole priority has been bettering her community for nearly four decades. 
She was on the council longer than any other incumbent and served as 
Alexandria's vice mayor from 1996 to 1997 and from 2003 to 2009.
  Even before her involvement in Alexandria, Del Pepper found herself 
fighting for others. She worked on her father's city council campaign 
growing up in Omaha, Nebraska. In the 1960s, Ms. Pepper managed a 
regional headquarters during President Lyndon Johnson's campaign. This 
would be impressive today, but Del did it in a time when women rarely 
took on such prominent roles in politics. She moved to Alexandria in 
1968 and hit the ground running with her desire to serve.
  Del Pepper has been an outspoken advocate for compassion, and the 
residents of Alexandria recognize that. She has remained a voice for 
the West End, ensuring that her part of town has had representation in 
the council all along the way. Ms. Pepper has advocated for seniors, 
too, making Alexandria a more accessible place to live.
  The residents of Alexandria have elected Del Pepper with more votes 
than any of the other at large councilmembers three times, leading to 
her recognition as vice mayor. She has voted in the best interests of 
her community, fighting for the environment by shutting down a coal 
plant and leading the charge to make Alexandria an Eco-City in 2008. 
Del even served on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' 
Air Quality Committee and Board of Directors.
  Del Pepper also served beyond her City Council seat by working on 
Alexandria's Commission on Aging, ensuring that senior citizens have 
access to the resources needed to live full and independent lives. 
Additionally, she worked on the Facilities Naming Committee, where she 
ensured that our landmarks would honor those who deserved the praise. 
Del also worked with the Commission on Information

[[Page E562]]

Technology to keep her community secure and equipped to meet her 
constituents' needs.
  Personally, I was honored to work with Del on the Council of 
Governments, where she led as the board's president. Del has done the 
hard and thankless work that very few people often recognize. But the 
entire Washington metropolitan area is better off because of the 
tireless service she put in.
  Ms. Pepper is a pillar of the Alexandria community, unafraid to speak 
her mind and vote with her conscience. She has been a comfort to her 
constituents and ensured that their voices were heard by the whole of 
Alexandria's city council. She has served her community since before 
some of her colleagues were even born. Del Pepper's dedication is 
unmatched, and I am proud to offer my congratulations to a treasured 
friend and colleague on a full, fearless, and caring career in service 
to the public.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in commending Ms. Del 
Pepper on her thirty-six years on the Alexandria city council. Ms. 
Pepper has set an example that all of us would do well to follow in 
fighting for what she believes, in giving a voice to her constituents 
in the decisions that affect them, and in being a resource to her 
community. She is a unique and invaluable member of her community, and 
I am proud that I have had the opportunity to get to know her, may we 
all strive to be more like her in our own service.

                          ____________________