Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the City of Brooklyn, Ohio. Brooklyn Township was founded in 1818, became Brooklyn Village in 1927 and in 1950 the City of Brooklyn was established.

The City of Brooklyn is home to many firsts in the U.S. In 1966, it became the first city to establish a seatbelt law. In 1999, it enacted the country's first law to prevent cell phone usage while driving. Brooklyn High School's auditorium hosted Elvis Presley's first concert in the northern U.S. on October 20, 1955. Brooklyn is also home to a Hugo Boss Plant and the world headquarters of American Greetings and the popular Memphis Kiddie Park.

Today, the City of Brooklyn is home to approximately 11,000 residents who are led by Mayor Richard Balbier. Mayor Balbier who has been serving as mayor since 2009 had previously served as the president of the Brooklyn City Council. There are six members on the City Council: Colleen Coyne Gallagher, Anthony DeMarco, Tom Murphy, Ron Van Kirk, Kathleen Pucci and Kevin Tanski.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the City of Brooklyn and all of its residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the City of Lakewood, Ohio. Also known as ``The City of Beautiful Homes,'' Lakewood is an exemplary community within Northeast Ohio.

Lakewood is one of Ohio's most diverse and culturally rich cities. It is home to several art galleries, Winchester Music Hall and the Beck Center of the Arts. Additionally, both Malley's Chocolates and Aladdin's Eatery are based out of Lakewood, Ohio.

Lakewood has been named as one of the best cities to live in by This Old House Magazine and Scene Magazine. It was listed among the best suburbs in the U.S. by Travel & Leisure Magazine. It was named the ``Best Place to Raise Your Kids 2010'' by Business Week.

Today, the City of Lakewood is home to more than 52,000 residents who are led by Mayor Mike Summers. Mayor Summers, who had previously served as a Councilman, has been serving as mayor since 2010. There are seven members on the City Council: Tom Bullock, David Anderson, Shawn Juris, Mary Louise Madigan, Brian Powers, Monique Smith and Ryan Nowlin.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the City of Lakewood and all of its residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize September 25, 2012, as the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's (CMBA) 4th Annual ``David Webster Greener Way to Work Day,'' and to remember David Webster, legal scholar, litigator, entrepreneur, and environmentalist, who died at age 46 from cancer on March 13, 2009, but whose achievements were many in his short life.

David Webster overcame alcoholism at a young age and went on to sponsor others in recovery. He accomplished much and saw life as an adventure. At Case Western Reserve School of Law, he graduated magna cum laude and was an editor of Law Review, where he met his wife Beth.

Upon graduation from law school, David became a commercial lawyer with broad experience, in matters involving banking, commodity trading, securities, technology, real estate, intellectual property, and his passion, environmental law. Merging his knowledge of commodity trading and environmental law, he founded INHALE, which later became the Clean Air Conservancy, an organization which worked within the manufacturing economy and the commodities market to reduce air pollution by acquiring and retiring pollution allowances. Outside Magazine dubbed the Clean Air Conservancy one of the 10 best small environmental non-profits.

David Webster was an aggressive litigator who took on music giant Sony and won a judgment of more than $5 million for the late Cleveland music producer Steve Popovich over credit for Meatloaf's hottest album, ``Bat out of Hell.'' He was a founding partner of the law firm Webster & Dubyak and was also actively involved in the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He was a driving force behind the merger of the Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland Bar Associations and was the President-elect of the merged CMBA at the time of his passing.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing Tuesday September 25, 2012 as the 4th Annual David Webster Greener Way to Work Day. The CMBA encourages us to find a greener way to travel to and from work, whether through public transportation, biking, walking or carpooling. The CMBA will honor David's memory with a noon luncheon at the CMBA to recognize law firms and offices for their commitment to implement sustainable practices, reduce waste, and shrink their carbon footprints. Please join me in honoring the memory of David Webster by joining with the CMBA in taking action to protect our environment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Village of Glenwillow, Ohio. Since 1893, the Village of Glenwillow has been an exemplary community within Northeast Ohio.

The Village of Glenwillow began as a company town by Austin Powder Company in 1893. Eventually, due to increased population, Austin Powder Company was unable to test its products in Glenwillow and relocated to Athens, Ohio in 1972. While the company had left, the residents of Glenwillow were thriving and began making investments and improvements to their 2.7 square mile home.

In 1999, under the leadership of former Mayor Don Payne, a new plan for the Village was designed. It included the rehabilitation and expansion of the Town Center and Village Center.

Today, the Village of Glenwillow is home to nearly 1000 residents who are led by Mayor Mark Cegelka. Mayor Cegelka was elected to office in 2009 after serving as the treasurer for the Village on Glenwillow. There are six members on the Village Council: Jeffrey Adie, Larry Sylver, John Baca, Eric Johnson, Donald Banas and Joseph Barber, Jr.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the Village of Glenwillow and all of its residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the City of Garfield Heights, Ohio. Since 1919, the City of Garfield Heights has been an exemplary community within Northeast Ohio.

The City of Garfield Heights, also known as the ``City of Homes,'' was founded in 1919 and named after Garfield Park. Before Garfield Heights was established, the land had been Newburgh Hamlet and the Village of South Newburgh. Garfield Heights officially reached the status of a city in 1930. It became home to Marymount Hospital in 1949.

Throughout the past couple of decades, Garfield Heights has undergone several major expansions and renovations. A new city hall building was opened in 1991, a new high school opened in 2004 and the Marymount Hospital Emergency Room addition opened in 2007.

Today, the City of Garfield Heights is home to nearly 30,000 residents who are led by Mayor Vic Collova. Mayor Collova was elected to office in 2009. He had previously served as President of Garfield Heights City Council. There are also eight members on the City Council: Nancy Marincic, Michael Nenadovich, Tracy Mahoney, Michael Dudley, Sr. Eugene Glenn, Joseph Suster, Thomas Vaughn and Barbara Molin.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the City of Garfield Heights and all of its residents.

The Stop the War on Coal Act is up today. It is the coal industry which is waging war on our mountains by leveling them, war on our lungs by burning dirty fuel, war on healthy children by being the single largest source of mercury exposure, war on our rivers and streams by filling them with toxic waste, war on groundwater through poisonous ash fills, war on its workers through conditions which continue to kill, war on families by breaking unions and by relentlessly reducing jobs, war on our national debt by taking in billions of subsidies, and now war on ratepayers of municipal utilities across the Midwest.

Time to stop this war.

Peabody Coal's Prairie State coal plant in southern Illinois has brokered a series of shady deals that puts 217 local utilities here, across the Midwest, on the hook for billions of dollars for energy they may never even get while paying twice the market price--a corrupt boondoggle that will raise utility rates and saddle many publicly owned utilities with crushing debt obligations.

Congress must stand up for the utility cuts in this areas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Ed Keating Center, a Northeast Ohio organization dedicated to helping those who are recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

The Ed Keating Center was founded in 1998 by Jack Mulhall, Phyllis Eisele-Curran and Dennis Eckersley. The Ed Keating Center is named for Edward J. Keating, a legendary sports agent, who conquered his own alcoholism, and is remembered for providing a chance at sober living to the most destitute of those addicted to alcohol and drugs.

The Ed Keating Center is a non-profit organization and sober living facility for those addicted to drugs and alcohol that serves adults

regardless of their financial well-being. It offers a six month in- house rehab program, a three-quarter house program and a work release program for its patients. At any given time, the Ed Keating Center is home to about 150 men and women.

The Center's driving principles are that a chance for sober living should be available to any man or women with a sincere determination to overcome their alcoholism or addiction, without regard for their ability to pay. The Center also survives solely on the donations and support of individuals and organizations who believe in communities helping themselves.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in the important work performed by the Ed Keating Center.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the dedication of the Albanian Cultural Garden, taking place on September 22, 2012.

The 254 acre piece of land that constitutes Rockefeller Park was donated to the City of Cleveland by John D. Rockefeller in 1896. The Cleveland Croatian Cultural Garden is a two acre piece of land within Rockefeller Park. The Cleveland Cultural Gardens were founded in 1926 to create a memorial area for the diverse ethnic groups that shape the region, and to serve as a space for reflection on peace, cooperation and understanding. The Cultural Gardens are currently a collection of more than 30 gardens which include African-American, American Indian, British, Chinese, Czech, Estonian, and Slovenian gardens, among others.

The planning and construction of the Albanian Cultural Garden started in 2007. Legislation sponsoring its dedication was spearheaded by Cleveland City Councilwoman Dona Brady. Members of the Albanian American Association of Cleveland, Ohio, Albanian Cultural Garden Committee, Jim McKnight and Kreshnik Xhiku were instrumental in creating the Albanian Cultural Garden.

The dedication of the Albanian Cultural Garden will occur on September 22, 2012. In addition to inaugurating the Albanian Cultural Garden, it will also commemorate the 100th year of Albanian Independence and dedicate the Mother Teresa memorial statue. Special guests of the dedication will include Albanian President, Bujar Nishani; Albanian Ambassador, Gilbert Galanxhi; Mayor Baftjar Zeqaj; and Mary, Mariano and Christian Gannon.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me recognition of the dedication of the Albanian Cultural Garden.

Did Peabody Energy Company deliberately unload a bad investment on public power organizations serving 217 cities and villages across the Midwest? Congress must find out because Peabody Energy lured public power organizations into contracts that forced municipal utilities to pay up to twice the market rate for electricity. At a time when private funding could not be had for new coal-fired utilities, Peabody Energy unloaded 95 percent of its investment onto public power customers in what became an almost triple cost overrun, with a coal mine that lasts 22 years, instead of 30 years as promised, and an ashfill that was supposed to last 23 years, and will last only 12 to 14 years.

The contract which municipals are tied into forces them to pay for power 42 percent above the market rate, whether the plant is producing energy or not. Billions of dollars were issued for bond financing for the project, and utility customers are vulnerable to huge costs for debt retirement. Wall Street wouldn't invest in the project, so Peabody went to Main Street, and now millions of public power customers will pay sky-high electric rates in what has all the appearances of a swindle.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Cleveland City Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, who has been serving the Ward 5 community since being elected to the Cleveland City Council in 2005.

Councilwoman Cleveland has been a longtime resident of the community which she now represents, which includes the Central, North Broadway and Kinsman Union neighborhoods. The Councilwoman has spent her life in public and community service, working for the Cleveland Tenants Organization advocating for fair and affordable housing for Cuyahoga County residents. In 2009, Councilwoman Cleveland was chosen by Council President Martin J. Sweeney to serve as Majority Leader in the City Council.

Councilwoman Cleveland's goal for Ward 5 has always been to build a strong connection between residents and the community by keeping the neighborhood safe, clean, and affordable. To do this, she has supported programs to clear the city of vacant and abandoned housing, replacing it with new houses and businesses. She has continued the community and economic development started by Mayor Frank G. Jackson when he was the Ward 5 Councilman.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honoring the accomplishments of Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Senator Nina Turner of Ohio's 25th Senate District.

Senator Turner began her political career as a legislative aide in the Ohio Senate, followed by her tenure on the administration of former Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White. After working in the Mayor's office, she went on to advocate for city school children as Director of Government Affairs for the Cleveland Municipal School District. She was later elected as the first woman to represent Ward 1 in Cleveland's City Council.

While serving in Ohio's 25th Senate District, Senator Turner has served as Senate Minority Whip and Ranking Member of the State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee. She is a board member of the Great Lakes Science Center, the United Way of Greater Cleveland, and the Cleveland Police Foundation. Senator Turner has also been recognized three years in row by Inside Business Magazine as one of the ``Power 100: Northeast Ohio's Most Influential People.''

A first generation college graduate, Senator Turner stresses the importance of hard work and education. She not only supports education through legislation, she also serves as a professor of history at Cuyahoga Community College and a mentor to students and young people throughout the Greater Cleveland area.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of Ohio Senator Nina Turner.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dan Brady, a member of the Cuyahoga County Council serving the Third District.

Dan Brady is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and has been active in public service for many years. He earned a degree in political science and history from Ohio University. He served on the Cleveland City Council from 1986 to 1996 before serving one term in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1996 to 1998. He left the Ohio House of Representatives to run for a seat in the Ohio Senate, in which he served until 2006. He was elected to the position of minority whip in the Ohio Senate in 2001. He now serves on the Cuyahoga County Council representing the Third District.

Dan Brady's accomplishments make him a remarkable figure in state and local government. As a member of the Cleveland City Council, Dan helped manage the expansion of Cleveland Public Power. In the Ohio House of Representatives, he supported the Beck Center for the Performing Arts and opposed legislation that would have reduced benefits to injured workers. In the Ohio Senate, he fought for legislation to reduce the risk of HIV among hospital workers working with needles.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Dan Brady, a member of the Cuyahoga County Council who is dedicated to serving the citizens of Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Councilman Zack Reed, who has been representing the residents of the Mt. Pleasant and Kinsman neighborhoods in Ward 2 on Cleveland's City Council since 2000.

Councilman Reed grew up in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of Cleveland. He began his career in public service working with local unions to help inner-city youth find jobs with the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Youth Apprenticeship Program.

Throughout his time in office, Councilman Reed has focused on the revitalization of the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood and the safety of its residents. He was an active advocate for the zero tolerance for crime policy, gun buybacks and an increase in support for Cleveland police officers. Reed has also worked closely with community leaders in his neighborhood to revitalize small businesses and create an environment that supports economic development.

Councilman Reed has been a strong advocate of workforce equality for the diverse population of Cleveland and has been an active

member of the National Black Caucus of Local Officials. His work in the community has resulted in the rebuilding of a local elementary school and senior center along with the cleanup and development of the community.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of Councilman Zach Reed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Councilman Kenneth L. Johnson, who has been serving Ward 4 on the Cleveland City Council since 1980.

Councilman Johnson has served Cleveland with a focus on enriching Cleveland youth through recreational and academic programs. He is responsible for starting free overnight summer and winter camping trips where youth from the city have the opportunity to experience different environments. Johnson has always been an outspoken believer in quality recreational activities for young people to help them learn important lifelong leadership and social skills.

Along with working for the Cleveland youth, Councilman Johnson has supported bringing new jobs to Cleveland through development and investment in the community. He has strived to give those seeking work new opportunities by starting computer training programs across the city. He also began a volunteer street cleaning, tree cutting, and overall beautification program for senior citizens and disabled residents in his ward.

Councilman Johnson has been the only Council Member in Cleveland history to have a building named after him while still holding office. The Kenneth L. Johnson Recreation Center was dedicated in October 2001 and has established an area for young people to gather and develop in a healthy environment.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the hard work and dedication Councilman Kenneth L. Johnson has shown serving the Cleveland community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Senator Michael J. Skindell of Ohio's 23rd Senate District.

Senator Skindell graduated cum laude with a B.A. in business and political science from Walsh College before earning his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Upon graduation, he served under Attorney General Anthony J. Celebrezze as an Assistant Attorney General. After providing legal representation to the Director of Health, serving as a hearing officer for the Ohio department of Health, and beginning his own practice, Senator Skindell turned to public service, becoming a councilman for Lakewood from 1998 to 2002. He was then elected to the Ohio House of Representatives for Ohio's 13th House district where he served four terms until being elected to the Ohio Senate.

Throughout his career, the Senator has been known to advocate for protections for the consumer, more affordable prescription drug coverage, protecting the environment, providing opportunities for working class and poor families, universal health care and developing Ohio's renewable energy resources. Currently, he serves on the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, Lakewood Democratic Club, and Cuyahoga Democratic Party.

Senator Skindell has been recognized as Environmental Legislator of the Year in 2004, Legislative Champion of Children by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Voices for Ohio Children, and the Legislator of the Year Award from the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers in 2007.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of Senator Michael J. Skindell.