[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




A TRIBUTE TO JIM SEELEY IN RECOGNITION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER 34 YEARS 
                 OF SERVICE TO THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 2010

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, on behalf of those of us who 
represent the great City of Los Angeles, I rise to honor Jim Seeley for 
the 34 years of service he has given to the city as our Chief Federal 
Legislative Representative. As delegation Members and their staffs 
gather tonight to celebrate our friend and to wish him all the best in 
his retirement, we wanted to share with our colleagues in the House the 
wonderful legacy that this Los Angeles ``institution'' leaves behind.
  Jim Seeley was born in the city he would one day represent, grew up 
in Los Angeles County, and made his way to Stanford University. He 
graduated in 1959, the same year he married the love of his life Jo Ann 
Browning. After a stint in Paris where Jo Ann studied at the Sorbonne, 
and then St. Louis where Jim did his six-month Army training, the 
couple settled in Washington, D.C. to build their successful careers 
and raise a large and wonderful family.
  Following 8 years with the Department of Commerce, Jim accepted a 
position in the Washington Office of the State of Illinois. Assisting 
Illinois businesses in promoting their goods abroad at trade shows and 
on trade missions, Jim began to hone his government relations expertise 
as Deputy Director of the office serving under two Governors.
  In 1976, after 7 years with the Illinois Washington Office, Jim 
returned to his roots when he accepted the position of Chief Federal 
Legislative Representative for the City of Los Angeles. Reporting first 
to the office of the Chief Legislative Analyst, and later directly to 
the Office of the Mayor, Jim has served the city and its residents with 
distinction under Mayors Tom Bradley, Richard Riordan, James Hahn, and 
Antonio Villaraigosa.
  Over the years, he forged close working relationships with the Los 
Angeles Congressional Delegation Members and their staffs, as he led 
his own staff to further the federal legislative agenda of the Council 
and Mayor. Jim has flourished for more than three decades in his role 
as the city's ``go to'' guy in the nation's capital. Through changes in 
Mayors, Presidents, and Democratic and Republican House and Senate 
majorities, Jim has been a constant, adjusting the city's advocacy 
strategies to the changing times.
  Jim guided the city's federal response to the Northridge earthquake 
in 1994, as city and county officials sought maximum federal relief to 
address the devastation caused by the quake. In the post 9/11 years, he 
has focused on homeland security and Los Angeles' efforts to improve 
airport security. He relished his work around the 1984 Olympics in his 
hometown, and has been an integral part of the effort to build our 
transportation infrastructure and move Angelinos out of their cars and 
onto subway and light rail.
  For 34 years, LA congressional offices have benefited from Jim's deep 
knowledge of the city and the federal policies that impact Los Angeles 
and our constituents. We also have benefited from the pleasure of his 
company, as ``Seeley'' was always a welcome visitor. When he dropped by 
to touch base with staff, check up on the latest legislative rumor, or 
just banter with the congressional colleagues who had long since become 
friends, I think we all felt like City Hall was down the street--not 
2700 miles away.
  Jim officially retired from the City of Los Angeles at the end of 
March, but will continue to consult and share his vast institutional 
knowledge with the City of Los Angeles office. In the meantime, he and 
Jo Ann, who retired last year, will no doubt devote much of their free 
time to their 11 children and their 14 beautiful grandchildren.
  On behalf of the Los Angeles Congressional Delegation, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating Jim Seeley on his retirement, 
and in thanking this dedicated public servant for his 34 years of 
service to the City of Los Angeles. We send our very best wishes to Jim 
and Jo Ann for a happy and fulfilling retirement.

                          ____________________