[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 25, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   RECOGNIZING MARY LeCLAIR AND THE GROUNDBREAKING OF LeCLAIR VILLAGE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 25, 2023

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mary LeClair and 
the groundbreaking of LeClair Village.
  Born in Ogdensburg, New York LeClair first came to Cape Cod in the 
late 1950s, after her husband was stationed at Otis Air Force Base. 
Soon after moving to the Cape, she began working at the Barnstable 
County National Bank as a teller in the Hyannis office. In 1966, 
LeClair moved over to the newly opened New Seabury branch, and a few 
years later, she was named 1 of the bank's first female branch 
managers.
  Using her experience in the banking industry, LeClair was named 
Barnstable County Treasurer in 1978. She served in this for 18 years, 
before being elected as a county commissioner in 1996. LeClair was 
elected for 3 4-year terms, stepping down from the role in 2008. She 
additionally served as an aide to former Congressman Bill Delahunt for 
2 years and worked in the Cape Cod Housing Assistance Corporation's 
resource development department for 5 years.
  Throughout her career, LeClair has always been deeply involved in the 
Cape Cod community. She has served on the board of Gosnold Inc. for 
nearly 3 decades and has worked closely with the women at Emerson 
House, Gosnold's all-female facility. LeClair has also worked with the 
Children's Cove--the Cape and Islands Child Advocacy Center--for close 
to 25 years, after playing a pivotal role in creating the organization. 
She has additionally been a board member and volunteer with the Housing 
Assistance Corporation, as well as several other organizations for many 
years.
  LeClair's efforts across Cape Cod have not gone unnoticed, as she has 
been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2007 
Mercy Otis Warren Cape Cod Woman of the Year Award and the Philanthropy 
Partners of the Cape and Islands 2019 Outstanding Volunteer Award. She 
has established herself as a pillar of the Cape Cod community, and 
through her work, she has inspired many others to get involved in local 
government and the community.
  Over the years, LeClair has remained an active advocate for 
increasing affordable housing. This is why when the Housing Assistance 
Corporation and Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc. partnered to 
build a new affordable housing complex in Mashpee, Massachusetts, there 
was no question as to who they would name the complex after. Built on 
town land, LeClair Village will house 39 families, offering affordable 
housing to low- and moderate-income households. After an 8-year effort 
between the Town of Mashpee, the Housing Assistance Corporation, 
Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc., and many other local non-
profits and stakeholders, the project broke ground on May 31, 2023. 
LeClair Village is expected to complete construction in the summer of 
2024. LeClair looks forward to all the children who will soon be able 
to go to school and say that they live in LeClair Village.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Mary LeClair. I ask that my 
colleagues join me in recognizing Mary LeClair and all the work that 
she has done for the Cape Cod community.

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