[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18320]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING PETER DiPAOLA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 17, 2015

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend and a 
true community leader, Pelham Town Supervisor Peter DiPaola, who has 
served his community in elected office with distinction for close to 25 
years.
  A resident of Pelham Manor since 1952, Peter has always had a love 
affair with Pelham Manor and its residents. He attended Siwanoy 
Elementary School while his future wife attended Prospect Hill, 
beginning a family legacy in the Pelham Elementary School system that 
has lasted three generations.
  In 1991, Peter began his life of public service as a member of the 
Pelham Manor Planning Board, and never looked back. To call Peter's 
career in elected office diverse or extensive would be an 
understatement. He served as Pelham Manor Trustee, with oversight for 
administration, planning, and finance; Fire Commissioner; Police 
Commissioner; Commissioner of Public Works; was elected Mayor of the 
Village of Pelham Manor in 2001; Town Councilman in 2004; and finally 
Pelham Town Supervisor in 2012, the role in which he currently still 
serves.
  As Town Supervisor, Peter has worked diligently to maintain the 
beauty and charm that has defined Pelham for decades. In spite of state 
mandated tax caps, he has overseen a redesign and improvement of the 
Town Court, a renovation of Gazebo Park, an expansion of the offerings 
by the Pelham Recreation Department, as well as an improvement of town 
services and programs, all while staying under the 2 percent tax cap. 
He has also worked hard to obtain vital funding through local, state, 
and federal grants, some of which my office has helped procure, for 
initiatives ranging from Superstorm Sandy repairs to improvements to 
Trotta Park. Peter's ability to deliver the services Pelham's residents 
have come to expect from their local government, while exhibiting 
strict fiscal responsibility, has been masterful, and as Pelham's 
Congressman I have always counted myself fortunate to have such a 
wonderful partner in government.
  Peter and I may not come from the same side of the aisle, but we have 
always had a great relationship, built on a foundation of mutual 
respect, while working together in the spirit of bipartisanship. As the 
American Legion Pelham Post 50 honors Peter at their annual Veterans 
Week Dinner Dance, I want to take a moment to honor him as well, and 
thank his wife, children, and grandchildren for sharing him with the 
entire community. There is no more fitting honoree than Peter, and he 
is most deserving of this recognition.

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