Archie Spigner Post Office Building

ARCHIE SPIGNER POST OFFICE BUILDING -- (House of Representatives - September 13, 2004)

Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4632) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 19504 Linden Boulevard in St. Albans, New York, as the "Archie Spigner Post Office Building".

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Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I come before you today to honor a man that has given much to my district and asked for very little.

Former City Council Member Archie Spigner is considered the Godfather of African American politics in my district in southeast Queens. A mentor to many of our current successful leaders, Archie held his seat from 1974 until term limits ended his service in the New York City Council in 2001.

As a member of the City Council, Archie rose to the post of Deputy Majority Leader-the second highest position in the Council. HIs legislative responsibilities included Chairmanships of the Committees on Housing and Buildings, Economic Development and the Legislative Office of Budget Review. He also served on the Council's Budget Negotiating Team and acted as liaison for the Council's 14 member Queens delegation. He was elected to and served on the advisory board of the National League of Cities, an advocacy group for our Nation's urban areas.

As District Leader and Executive Member of the Guy R. Brewer United Democratic Club, he was instrumental in electing Queens' first African-American Supreme Court Justice, the first African-American Assembly Member, the first African-American State Senator, and the first African-American Member of Congress. He played a pivotal role the mayoral campaigns of David N. Dinkins and Percy Sutton, as well as the gubernatorial campaign of H. Carl McCall. Archie helped elect my precedessor to Congress, and of course, provided indispensable support and counsel when I sought this office.

A post office facility bearing Archie's name, located a few blocks from the headquarters from which Archie's political organizing emanated will be a reminder to the community he served long and well of the gratitude they owe to this man who made a difference in their everyday lives and effectively represented them in the corridors of New York City government.

Please join me in designating the Saint Albans postal facility the Archie Spigner Post Office Building, in honor of this accomplished gentleman.

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