[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15417]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CLAIRA MONIER

 Mr. SUNUNU. Mr. President, the senior Senator from New 
Hampshire, Judd Gregg, and I wish to recognize the considerable 
achievements of Claira Monier, a Goffstown resident who recently 
announced her retirement after leading the New Hampshire Housing 
Finance Authority for nearly two decades.
  Claira is a gold standard public servant. A New Hampshire native, she 
has devoted her life to improving her community, State and Nation. 
Moreover, in what limited spare time she has, Claira is someone to whom 
Senator Gregg and I can turn for steady counsel on policy--housing tax 
credits, bond caps, affordable housing--and politics. She is a rare and 
irreplaceable friend.
  Whether in the classroom or leading efforts to expand access to 
housing or health care, Claira has demonstrated the highest commitment 
to service over a 40-year period. Although her record of achievement is 
well-known in New Hampshire, it is worth repeating here on the floor of 
the Senate.
  From 1967 to 1974, she held teaching and administrative positions at 
New Hampshire College and St. Anselm College. Claira subsequently 
served for 5 years as the director of the New Hampshire State Council 
on Aging, completing her tenure in 1981.
  Having demonstrated uncommon competence and creativity in these 
roles, Claira was selected as Region I Director of the U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services. In 1988, she began her legendary career 
as executive director of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority--
an organization on which she has left an indelible mark.
  While working by day to support affordable housing and home ownership 
initiatives in New Hampshire, Claira managed to simultaneously bring 
her leadership skills to a number of nonprofit boards.
  She served as a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston from 
1990 to 1992 and was a member of its Affordable Housing Advisory 
Council. She also found time to serve for 2 years as chairman of then-
Governor Gregg's Commission on Health Care Costs and Availability, 
leaving the panel in 1991. Claira was board president of the National 
Council of State Housing Agencies and served as cochair of the Fannie 
Mae Housing Impact Advisory Council.
  The list goes on: past chair of the Manchester Red Cross; former 
Southern New Hampshire University trustee; 2003 chair of the Heritage 
United Way Campaign; former chair of the New Hampshire Main Street 
Center; chair of New Hampshire's chapter of the American Lung 
Association; chair of the West High School endowment fund; member of 
the Dartmouth Hitchcock Healthcare System's assembly of overseers; and 
so on.
  It is not exactly clear when, or if, Claira had time to sleep.
  But this much is known: Claira is one of those special people who 
looks at her community and is able to see how she can make it better. 
She is not prone to idle thoughts. Rather than stand on the sidelines 
saying how the order of the world should be, Claira enters the arena 
with vigor and inspires people to achieve difficult objectives.
  The results of her work can be seen across New Hampshire. For first-
time homeowners in our State--or those who thought they might never be 
able to own a place of their own--it is likely that Claira's leadership 
at New Hampshire Housing had something to do with their securing a 
piece of the American dream. It is difficult to imagine work that is 
more hopeful.
  There is no question that Claira leaves behind a rich legacy at New 
Hampshire Housing. Her successors, no doubt, share her commitment to 
that organization's mission and will continue the important work she 
has started. It should be noted, though, that Senator Gregg and I will 
certainly miss working with her on critical issues that impact so many 
New Hampshire residents.
  Claira may be retiring from her day job but in no way is she retiring 
from her community. Her knowledge of New Hampshire, her warm demeanor, 
and her strong leadership will continue to benefit the organizations 
she supports. Additionally, candidates--notably those seeking the 
highest office in the land--will turn to Claira for advice and counsel 
that only she can provide.
  Claira is a good, true and loyal friend. A great citizen of New 
Hampshire, Senator Gregg and I extend our warm regards to Claira on the 
occasion of her retirement. We look forward to seeing her in the 
communities she has served and will serve.

                          ____________________