[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9917-9918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


   RECOGNIZING DAVID P. BOBZIEN ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AS 
                        FAIRFAX COUNTY ATTORNEY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 24, 2016

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and commend David P. 
Bobzien, of Reston, on the occasion of his retirement after a 
distinguished career spanning three decades of public service to the 
residents of Fairfax County, the largest local jurisdiction in the 
Commonwealth of Virginia and the National Capital Region. For the past 
23 years, David has served as the Fairfax County Attorney. Prior to 
that, he served four years on the Fairfax Planning Commission, 
representing the former Centreville District, and he also is a past 
chairman of the Fairfax County Goals Advisory Commission.
  I had the great pleasure of working with David throughout my 14 years 
on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, particularly during my 5 
years as chairman. David was responsible for providing sound legal 
advice to

[[Page 9918]]

the Board of Supervisors on any number of issues, from land use and 
zoning applications to civil litigation to personnel matters. He was 
always meticulous and thoughtful in his approach and was a trusted 
counselor to the board and county staff.
  David also has more than a decade of service with the federal 
government, where he served as assistant counsel in the Office of 
Professional Responsibility of the Department of Justice. Prior to 
that, he spent four years in private practice as an associate with the 
Fairfax firm of Fitzgerald and Smith, and he also served four years as 
a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States 
Army.
  Mr. Bobzien has ably represented Fairfax on a number of boards and 
associations and has used his passion for the law to benefit 
communities across the Commonwealth. He is a former president of the 
Virginia State Bar. He was the first government attorney ever to hold 
that post. He is a past chair of the Local Government Law Section of 
the Virginia State Bar, a past president of the Local Government 
Attorneys of Virginia, a past president of Lawyers Helping Lawyers, the 
organization that assists lawyers in Virginia suffering from substance 
addiction or mental illness, a past president of the Fairfax Law 
Foundation, and a past president of the Virginia Law Foundation.
  Even as he neared retirement, David has remained active and is the 
current chairman of the Virginia CLE Committee of the Virginia Law 
Foundation and is a board member of Virginia Law Foundation, the 
Fairfax Law Foundation, and Lawyers Helping Lawyers. He is a Virginia 
State Bar delegate in the American Bar Association's House of Delegates 
having previously served on the ABA's Commission on Domestic and Sexual 
Violence. He is a fellow of the Fairfax Law Foundation and the Virginia 
Law Foundation and a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.
  His leadership and commitment to the law have been recognized by his 
peers. In 2012, David was selected to receive the Golden Gavel Award 
from the Fairfax Law Foundation's Society of Fellows. The Golden Gavel 
Award recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses for their 
exceptional community service.
  Mr. Speaker, David Bobzien's commitment to our community and the 
mission of local government is unparalleled, and he leaves behind a 
legacy of integrity that will benefit our community for generations to 
come. His career in public service is truly commendable and deserving 
of our sincere appreciation. When I was chairman of the county board, 
we often joked when retirement announcements like this came before the 
board that we should pass an ordinance to disallow such talented and 
dedicated professionals to leave public service. I certainly wish that 
was the case here. I have been privileged to call David not only a 
professional colleague but also a constituent and a friend. I wish 
David and his wife, Cathy, and the rest of their family the best of 
luck in his retirement, and I ask my colleagues in the House to join me 
in expressing our appreciation for his unswerving devotion to serving 
the residents of Fairfax County.

                          ____________________