[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23260]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE SANDRA L. KOFFMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 19, 2002

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a very 
special woman, the Honorable Sandra L. Koffman, the Mayor of Pacific 
Grove, California. Sandy, as she is known throughout town, has been a 
true leader in Pacific Grove and in the wider Monterey Bay region. As 
she steps down after four consecutive terms as Mayor, I want to take 
this time to honor her public service. I think it is particularly 
important that this House, at the pinnacle of American democracy, honor 
the fundamentally important role that local elected officials such as 
Mayor Kaufman play in the governance of our great nation. Local 
politics is the foundation on which our nation rests. Members of 
Congress simply stand on the shoulders of the Mayors, City Council 
members, County Supervisors, School Board Members, and the other local 
elected office holders who give so generously of their time to make our 
communities work. Sandy is just such a local official. She is the kind 
of leader who is the first to arrive, the last to leave, and is always 
there with persistence and energy to move Pacific Grove forward.
  Sandy was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. After college, Sandy 
made her way to California where she began a career in retailing in the 
Los Angeles area. Sandy and her husband Dan moved to Pacific Grove in 
1990, where she immediately became active in the community, serving as 
a docent for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, cofounding Pacific Grove Eco-
Corps in 1991 and the Pacific Grove Residents Association in 1993, and 
participating in the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce and many other 
local, national and international organizations. In 1994, the citizens 
of her adopted city elected Sandy their mayor.
  Since her election as mayor, Sandy has contributed in numerous ways 
to the improvement of Pacific Grove, including protection of the 
environment, preservation of historic homes, and revitalization of the 
downtown business district. Sandy has led the City Council effectively 
through major projects, including a new Youth Center, restoration of 
historic City Hall and an addition to the Civic Center, approved plans 
for affordable housing for senior citizens, and a comprehensive sewer 
maintenance and improvement project.
  Sandy has been a highly public, accessible and outgoing Mayor, 
spending countless hours with all segments of the community to build 
consensus and bridges of understanding, and has unfailingly conducted 
meetings with a skillful combination of cordiality and focus. She has 
participated actively in regional planning and policy-making as Pacific 
Grove's representative to the Fort Ord Reuse Authority and other 
organizations, and has worked closely and effectively with the other 
mayors on a wide range of countywide issues.
  On behalf of this House I want to commend Mayor Koffman for her 
dedicated service and call on her to continue her good work on behalf 
of the people of Pacific Grove and the United States.

                          ____________________