[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 18999]]

     TRIBUTE TO MARY GRIFFIN ON HER RETIREMENT AS SAN MATEO COUNTY 
                               SUPERVISOR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call the attention of my 
colleagues in the House to the remarkable public career of my dear 
friend Mary Griffin, who will shortly retire as a county supervisor of 
San Mateo County, California. I have known Mary for over twenty years, 
and during that time I have seen how her contributions have enriched 
our community and helped many individuals on a very personal level.
  Mr. Speaker, Mary began her career as a teacher--in the Santa Rosa 
Public elementary schools (1954-1957), as an instructor in education at 
San Francisco State University (1957-1959), and as a teacher in the 
South San Francisco Unified School District (1973- 1987). She began her 
public service in 1976 when she was elected to the Millbrae City 
Council. She served on the City Council for 13 years, and was twice 
elected as mayor (1980, 1984).
  In March of 1987, Mary Griffin was elected to the Board of 
Supervisors of San Mateo County. She was re-elected to a full term in 
1988, and then was reelected for two additional terms in 1992 and 1996. 
Mary served as President of the Board of Supervisors in 1989, 1993, and 
1999. She served as President of the Association of Bay Area 
Governments (1991-1992) and as Vice Chair of the Bay Area Economic 
Forum (1995).
  Mr. Speaker, during nearly thirteen years of leadership on the Board 
of Supervisors, Mary has demonstrated her outstanding leadership and 
commitment to dealing with issues of critical importance in maintaining 
the quality of life on the Peninsula. She has worked to deal with 
serious transportation problems in our area. She served on the 
Transportation Authority Board and the Metropolitan Transportation 
Commission (1989-1998), where she made important contributions to 
improving Peninsula transportation in a period of intense economic 
growth in our area. Reflecting her concern with issues involving the 
San Francisco International Airport, which is a critical transportation 
hub contributing to the economic vitality of our entire region, she 
made important contributions as a member of the Airport Land Use 
Committee, the Regional Airport Planning Committee, and the Airport 
Community Roundtable.
  Mary has been in the forefront in protecting our fragile environment. 
In her first year as County Supervisor, Mary took the lead in county 
recycling efforts as the first and only chair of the County Recycling 
Task Force. She served on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, as a 
member of the Congestion Management and Air Quality Committee, and 
Joint Air Quality Policy Committee.
  The needs of children are at the top of Mary Griffin's agenda, and 
she has frequently emphasized that how we care for our children's needs 
today will determine our nation's tomorrow. As a child of a widow who 
worked for the minimum wage, Mary still remembers those hard times, and 
she has focused on helping families and children make a better future. 
She has established or taken a leading role in a number of programs to 
help children--the ``Share-a-Bear Program'' for abused and neglected 
children in San Mateo County, the Children's Dental Program to assure 
that impoverished children with severe dental needs are cared for, and 
the Children's Executive Council to improve communication and 
cooperation among children's programs throughout the county.
  Mr. Speaker, Mary Griffin has received numerous awards recognizing 
her commitment and contribution to our community--a PTA Honorary Life 
Service Award, Woman of the Year of the California Federation of 
Women's Clubs, Woman of Distinction of the Soroptimist International of 
Millbrae-San Bruno, Directors Award of the State Department of Social 
Services, and many, many others.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in extending our 
warmest congratulations to Mary Griffin on the occasion of her 
retirement as a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. 
Her commitment to public service is an inspiration and an example to 
all of us. We wish her well now that she will have more time to spend 
with her family: her husband, Walter Ramseur, her three children--John, 
Mary and Zachary--and her five grandchildren.

                          ____________________