[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23538]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    THANKING MY CONGRESSIONAL STAFF

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 22, 2002

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, on November 19, 2002, I submitted remarks 
thanking my congressional staff. Inadvertently, several lines from 
those remarks were not included in that Congressional Record. I here 
resubmit those missing lines which thanked Phil Jodz and Mike Rule on 
my staff for their contributions to my incumbency.
  The end of a congressional career brings about many emotions. Over 
the last 20 years I have happily spent representing the fine people of 
the 17th Congressional District of Pennsylvania I have had the pleasure 
of working with thousands of constituents, local, state and federal 
officials, and many former and current distinguished members of the 
U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. To all of them I 
say, thanks for working with me towards a better America.
  And, of course, every Member of Congress works with many, many 
competent staff, from the staff in their own personal offices to the 
committee and subcommittee staff and the leadership and floor staff. It 
has often been said that without staff where would this institution be? 
And I concur with that statement, for without the many fine staff with 
whom I have had the good fortune to work, I and other Members of 
Congress of the United States would be far worse off.
  Phil Jodz, is the many talented staff assistant who handled 
constituent tours and interns, and also ably handled press, legislative 
research, the office website, and all manner of writing in my office. 
Mike Rule, our newest staff assistant, showed a willingness, and more 
importantly a capability, to do whatever was needed to assist the 
office.
  To both I say please accept my sincere thanks for making my tenure in 
the U.S. House of Representatives a productive and pleasant one. Any 
current Member of Congress or committee would be well served by the 
high-quality staff with whom it has been my pleasure to work over these 
many years.

                          ____________________