[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 132 (Tuesday, August 1, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING RICHARD ``DICK'' RAVITCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 1, 2023

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize lifelong New Yorker, 
political power broker, former New York Lieutenant Governor, and dear 
friend and mentor of mine, Richard Ravitch, on the occasion of his 
passing on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at the age of 89. I am proud to be 
joined today to remember Richard by Representatives Daniel Goldman, 
Eric Swalwell, Adam Schiff, Patrick Ryan, Nydia Velazquez, Gregory 
Meeks, Grace Meng, and Joseph Morelle.
  The son of a Russian Jewish immigrant, Richard was born in Manhattan 
in 1933. He attended Oberlin College and transferred to Columbia 
College, earning a bachelor's degree in history in 1955. Richard 
continued his education, graduating from the Yale University School of 
Law in 1958. After graduation, Richard served active duty in the United 
States Army during the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1962.
  Richard took the helm of his family's construction company, HRH 
Construction Corporation, in the 1960s, developing landmark buildings 
such as Waterside Plaza and Citicorp Center. An early advocate for 
integrated, affordable housing, Richard partnered with Bayard Rustin 
and A. Phillip Randolph on the first de-segregated housing project in 
Washington, D.C.
  A successful businessman, Richard was recruited to help halt the 
financial collapse of New York's Urban Development Corporation in 1975. 
Shortly after, Richard chaired the Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority from 1979 through 1983, advocating for a tax increase to 
generate greater revenue and created a $8.5 billion financing plan to 
revive the mass transit system. He also served as the President of the 
Player Relations Committee for Major League Baseball, working as the 
chief negotiator for the league.
  Richard's innovative solutions in New York earned him an appointment 
as the state's Lieutenant Governor by David A. Paterson in 2009. In 
2011, Richard formed the State Budget Crisis Task Force with former 
Federal Reserve Chair, Paul Volcker, to draw attention to the financial 
vulnerabilities that state governments may possess. This work resulted 
in his selection as an advisor to the Governor of Michigan during 
Detroit's economic rebound in 2019.
  He believed in the power of information and helped create a boot camp 
for mid-career journalists at the City University of New York's School 
of Journalism. These are just a few examples of how, for over 40 years, 
Richard served the public and left a physical and financial imprint on 
the residents of New York.
  Though Richard was never elected to an official position, he played 
an integral role in maintaining the stability of numerous landmark 
institutions. He did not believe politics to be a zero-sum game, and 
saw it was an opportunity to uplift entire communities. He is preceded 
in death by his son, Steven, and survived by his wife, Kathleen, and 
children Joe, Michael, Liz, Carrie, and Laura, and 13 grandchildren.

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