[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 192 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE DEPARTURE OF THE HONORABLE LAURA PARMER-LOHAN FROM THE 
                       CITY COUNCIL OF SAN CARLOS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 12, 2022

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Laura Parmer-Lohan as 
she departs the City Council of San Carlos after serving in this 
position from 2018 to 2022. Her years of service span a remarkable 
chapter in the history of her community.
  When she took the oath of office in late 2018. the county of San 
Mateo had an unemployment rate of 2.1 percent. As she leaves office, 
the unemployment rate is 1.9 percent. Unemployment is generally a key 
indicator of the quality of life in a community. If a visitor from 
space judged community history from only those two numbers, they would 
think that nothing changed in the years that Laura served her 
neighbors. As we all know, one would have to be a visitor from space to 
have that point of view.
  Her colleague, Councilman Ron Collins, made this comment about the 
year 2020 when he served as Mayor and Laura served as Vice-Mayor. 
``During that tumultuous year, Laura earnestly sought out community and 
business leaders to understand their COVID-related issues. She was then 
instrumental in securing the practical help we needed as neighbors and 
business owners.'' The record backs him up. Laura and her colleagues 
offered city financial support to businesses and residents, closed 
portions of the downtown to ensure the survival of restaurants, and 
adapted their plans on the go to accommodate as many needs as possible.
  A note within the city's 3rd quarter financial report of fiscal year 
2019-2020 contains this historic understatement, ``The COVID-19 related 
emergency declared in mid-March began to affect revenue and 
expenditures towards the end of the third quarter, but the effects had 
little impact on the usual trends. The effects will primarily be seen 
in quarter four and beyond.'' Laura works in the private sector. To her 
that language was financial-speak for, ``Head for the high ground. A 
tsunami is coming.''
  She and her colleagues ably guided city finances despite enormous 
uncertainty. San Carlos is recovering from the pandemic with strong 
finances. As city residents take stock of their high-quality police and 
fire services, beautiful parks, and restoration of much-beloved public 
events like Home Town Days and the downtown Art and Wine Festival, they 
can in part thank Laura and her colleagues for wrestling community 
success from the jaws of the COVID-19 alligator.
  Of course, her term of office should not be defined by the pandemic. 
Laura worked hard to establish a higher minimum wage, voted for 
affordable housing construction, and supported a plan for the city's 
eastside industrial area that will lead to the creation of thousands of 
life science and other high technology jobs over the coming years. She 
is a strong advocate for affordable childcare, voted to ban the sale of 
flavored tobacco in San Carlos, supported linkage fees to create 
community benefits from commercial development, and supported using 
city funds for gun buybacks. One colleague remarked that she also did a 
great job running city council meetings. If there was an Emmy Award for 
Zoom city council meetings that run on time and still hold the public's 
attention at 11 p.m. on a work night, Laura would accept in the role of 
best director, with appropriate recognition given to staff and her 
colleagues.
  Laura was born in West Virginia and raised in San Diego. She obtained 
her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California at Santa 
Cruz and her MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. She and 
her family moved to San Carlos in 2011, and then deeply embedded 
themselves in the life of this small community. Laura's wife, Kathy, is 
the widely respected Executive Director of the San Carlos Education 
Foundation, and their two sons, Bradley and Gregory, attended local 
public schools.
  Laura can often be seen riding her bicycle around town. She is an 
avid athlete and her energy in public office reflects her stamina. She 
will soon have more time for her family and friends, a just reward 
after so many evenings donated for public benefit. We should all thank 
her family for their support of her service.
  Madam Speaker, John Denver memorably described Laura's birthplace, 
West Virginia, as ``almost heaven.'' We shouldn't put Laura on the spot 
to compare San Carlos to the Blue Ridge Mountains, but we're thankful 
that she and her family settled on Howard Avenue rather than on the 
banks of the Shenandoah River. Denver also sang that life is old in 
West Virginia. Proudly, San Carlos is quite young and vibrant. This 
also describes the spirit of Laura Parmer-Lohan. She is a public 
servant who in 2018 signed up for a volunteer job on a few nights a 
month. She ended up doing enormous overtime in defense of our lives and 
welfare for four eventful years. Job well done.

                          ____________________