[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3922]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LONGTIME 
                 JOHNSTOWN, PA ADMINISTRATOR JIM WHITE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARK S. CRITZ

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 2012

  Mr. CRITZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Jim White, a true champion of 
the people and small businesses of Johnstown, PA. Next month, Jim will 
retire from his post as Johnstown's Director of Community and Economic 
Development. In this capacity, he manages millions of dollars in 
federal subsidies supporting homeowner assistance, street paving and 
annual demolitions, and oversees the city's planning, zoning, code 
enforcement and economic development efforts.
  Jim became Johnstown's Economic Development Coordinator in March of 
1998. Since then, he has helped to revitalize the city's downtown 
storefronts and improve the city's infrastructure by stimulating 
investment in neighborhood businesses and cultivating strong 
relationships with local entrepreneurs. Thanks to Jim's outstanding 
leadership, the American promise of opportunity is alive and well for 
all those who live and work in Johnstown.
  Jim is the sort of visionary leader our cities need more of. No 
matter how much he has accomplished for the city of Johnstown, he has 
never stopped seeing it for what it could be, rather than for what it 
is. In 2009, Jim played a key role in formulating a master plan for the 
future of the city. Not even three years later, officials have already 
begun to implement several of the projects this document proposed, 
including a plan to comprehensively improve access to Main Street, one 
of the city's main thoroughfares.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a grateful community, I want to wish Jim 
the best of luck as he prepares to begin a new chapter in his life. 
Having worked with him for over a decade, I know that his strong 
leadership skills and eternal optimism will serve him well in whatever 
he chooses to do next.

                          ____________________