Volume 146, No. 135 covering the 2nd Session of the 106th Congress (1999 - 2000) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO STANLEY ISRAELITE” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S11015-S11016 on Oct. 25, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO STANLEY ISRAELITE
Mr. DODD. First, I want to pay tribute to a man that has literally been like a father, brother, and uncle to me, and a close confidant for a quarter of a century. I affectionately call him ``the coach.'' Stanley Israelite has been with me in my office from the very first day in January of 1975 when I was sworn into the House of Representatives, until just months ago when, at age 75, he retired from the service of the U.S. Senate and service to me as a Member of the House and the Senate.
There are many words to describe Stanley Israelite and the many roles in my life and the lives of countless others in Connecticut and the country that he has served as a friend, counselor, trusted advisor, and faithful public servant. While these words can describe what he has been, there are really no words to describe what he has meant, particularly to me and to literally hundreds of others who have been blessed to know him and have been affected by the work he has performed on their behalf. It is equally the case that there are no words to express my true feelings of deep gratitude for Stanley's service and my personal sadness that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate.
Mr. President, in a recent edition of the New London Day, a local paper in Connecticut, the headline read ``Israelite Enjoys Retirement for Day, Then Joins NCDC''--the Norwich Community Development Corporation. That one headline fairly well sums up Stanley's remarkable life of service. For almost 75 years, he has led a life of tireless devotion to the things that endure in this life: faith, family, compassion for the less fortunate, integrity, and great humility.
While many think of him as a quintessential public servant, Stanley Israelite's roots actually lie in the world of small business. His first occupation, after serving in the U.S. military, was helping to run his father's jewelry store in Norwich, Connecticut. He would later serve as an officer of the Norwich Chamber of Commerce and then became director of it. In fact, he was director when he joined me as a freshman member of the House. Subsequently, he was elected as a member of the City Council in his beloved hometown of Norwich, Connecticut, and was chosen to serve as commissioner to the Norwich Department of Public Utilities.
In his ``spare time,'' he was corporator of the William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, the former Norwich Savings Society, and the Norwich Free Academy, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, public high schools in America.
In the 1970s, he served as head of the Norwich Community Development Corporation. In that role, he oversaw the establishment of the Norwich Industrial Park. I know a lot of industrial parks built today are rather commonplace, but this was one of the first and one of the most unique in the State of Connecticut and across the country. This facility embodies Stanley's vision of a thriving economic community in southeastern Connecticut, and he created it while maintaining the wonderful topography and environmental integrity of that part of the city of Norwich.
It represents, in many ways--in stone, metal, glass, and the environment that surrounds it--the deep commitment of this remarkable man to make life better for those around him. As one former State Senator recently said of Stanley's work on the Norwich Industrial Park,
``It's high time we name the park after him.'' I second that thought.
For the past 25 years, I have had the great privilege of knowing Stanley as a member of my staff. He served as my State director and senior advisor for a quarter century. But what truly distinguished Stanley was not the title that he held in my office, but his rock-solid sense of purpose. Stanley was with me on the very first day that I was sworn in as a new Member of Congress. Every single day, 7 days a week, I had at least one conversation with Stanley Israelite. I never made an important decision--very few decisions at all--without discussing them with Stanley and getting his solid advice as to how we ought to proceed. Early in my very first term, I remember being out with Stanley for dinner one night. In talking about the job and how the job ought to be done, he listened to me patiently, as he oftentimes did, go on at some length about the work and the projects we wanted to be involved in, the major issues affecting Electric Boat and all these important institutions in my congressional district. After I went on for some time, I turned to Stanley and asked him what he thought. I can almost hear him exactly. He said, ``I am going to tell you one thing about this job.'' He paused and he just said, ``Never forget the people.''
With those words, Stanley Israelite embarked on a 25-year career with me, on a path and a journey that has been a joy every single day. I am constantly reminded by Stanley and by his words and deeds that our job is to never forget the people. For 25 years, he has been a champion of those who too often are ignored, the underdogs, the ill, the elderly, the frail--those who didn't have anybody to speak for them. For Stanley, every person does count. No matter is too small for his attention. For him, a constituent's problem became his problem. Words like ``I can't help you,'' ``try another office,'' ``later,'' or
``no,'' simply were not in Stanley's vocabulary.
In November of 1995, U.S. News and World Report published what they call their ``Portraits of 12 Indispensable Americans.'' I am proud to tell you today that one of those 12 indispensable Americans was the man I speak about this evening, Stanley Israelite.
I ask unanimous consent that that profile of Stanley Israelite contained in the publication of U.S. News and World Report be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
The Senator's Aide--Hounding the Bureaucrats
(By James Popkin)
Lots of people's problems with their government aren't ideological, they're logistical. That's why many rely on the congressional aides like Stanley Israelite to help them fight their battles with government agencies.
At 70, Stanley Israelite is fighting a crusade to prove the cynics wrong. Since 1975, when the gravely voiced former Brooklynite first went to work for then Rep. Christopher Dodd
(now a senator), Israelite has helped thousands of Connecticut citizens replace lost passports, track down late tax refunds, ship dearly departeds to grieving families overseas and even bail the occasional misbehaving Connecticut teenager out of Mexican jails.
All successful members of Congress have staffers like Israelite who can goose reluctant bureaucrats into action. Although Dodd happens to be a Democrat, effective constituent service is a congressional specialty that cuts across political lines. It's first and foremost a matter of good politics: Good service results in happy voters. But what distinguishes Israelite is his gusto for the job. And his not-so-artful technique. ``When I call an agency because somebody is waiting for her Social Security check or a guy is waiting for an FHA loan and the agency gives me some song and dance, I try to let them know I'm not gonna take any of their crap,'' he says. ``At times, I tell them I've discussed this problem with the senator. Sometimes, it isn't true.''
A former jewelry store owner and Chamber of Commerce honcho from Norwich, Conn., Israelite is Dodd's pipeline to many of the state's small-business owners. Harry Jackson, a life-long Republican who is the City Council president in Norwich, recalls how difficult it was to get a meeting with officials from the Environmental Protection Agency when the city wanted to build a new firehouse on federal land. ``Stan got us in there after just one phone call,'' says Jackson, who ultimately built the firehouse.
``Things happened.'' Don Daren says Israelite was a life-saver in 1981, when a state-based paper distributor was trying to secure a $900,000 umbrella loan from the Connecticut Development Authority. Daren, who owns the Arrow Paper Supply & Food Co., says it was going to take forever for the CDA to process his loan papers so he could buy a new warehouse. ``Stanley told them [CDA officials] my problem, and things happened right away,'' says Daren, whose business has grown from 36 workers then to nearly 200 today. ``He has his own constituency. People like Stanley.''
Ideally, says veteran Hartford Courant political columnist Don Noel, senators like Dodd would use their clout on Capitol Hill to fix bureaucracies and make them more consumer friendly--eliminating the need for taxpayer-financed ombudsmen like Israelite. But since that goal seems unattainable, Noel figures that Israelite plays a vital role.
``If you have something you need the senator to do for you, if anyone can do it, Stanley can,'' he says.
Israelite admits that he is motivated by a desire to help re-elect Dodd. But he adds: ``Part of what drives me is knowing that there's someplace where somebody can go when they are not getting anyplace.''
One of the great honors of my life has been to have Stanley by my side during very important moments--almost every important moment in the past 25 years. Many times when I received the applause as the elected official, the Congressman or the Senator, I knew the person who truly deserved the applause was Stan Israelite.
No tribute to Stanley would be complete without mentioning his wonderful family: his beloved and recently departed wife Pauline, who was as great and close a friend as Stanley; his son Michael and daughter-in-law Donna; his son John; his daughter Abby and son-in-law Bill Dolliver; his daughter Mindy and son-in-law Bill Wilkie; his siblings; and, not least, six wonderful grandchildren. To them I extend my heartfelt gratitude for sharing this remarkable man with me and so many others for a quarter century.
There are few words to describe Stanley that would adequately describe what he has done. No words will describe what he meant to countless individuals. For me, there is sadness that he has retired from my office in the Senate, but there is great comfort in knowing he will continue to work on behalf of the people of our State and his community, and will continue to be a close friend and incredibly important part of my life. So today, there is no need for goodbyes but only these words: Thank you, Coach.
When he departed, he said, ``I am leaving the Senate, but not Chris Dodd.'' I can say this to Stanley: You may have left my office, but you will never be very far away when I need you for that sound counsel and good advice you gave me for a quarter century. I thank this wonderful man for his service to me, to our State, and to the country.
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