The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING THE CAREER AND RETIREMENT OF NIAGARA COUNTY LEGISLATOR
DENNIS VIRTUOSO
______
HON. BRIAN HIGGINS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 10, 2021
Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, today I rise in honor of Niagara County Legislator Dennis Virtuoso. Dennis is a dedicated public servant who is retiring after 30 years of service and 15 terms in the Niagara County Legislature.
Dennis is one of just two members to serve three decades in the Niagara County Legislature. As a longtime Democratic Caucus leader, he spent much of his time in office serving in both majority and minority leadership. During the early 2000s. Dennis spent four years as Majority Leader and the last 16 years as Minority Leader.
Throughout his tenure, Dennis vowed to keep the Niagara County Legislature transparent and honest. When he first ran for office, he promised that he would never vote for a property tax increase. Thirty years later. Dennis has kept this promise.
Dennis sponsored several resolutions during his time on the Niagara County Legislature. Most notable was a resolution, that passed, allowing Niagara Country residents to speak before the Legislature; previous policy did not allow residents to have a voice. He also sponsored a resolution that put in place an Animal Abuse Registry that requires registration for anyone convicted of animal cruelty. The registry now serves as a model for the rest of New York State. Additionally, Dennis sponsored resolutions to reserve parking spaces for Purple Heart recipients.
Of his many accomplishments, Dennis is most proud of his speech before Congress in the late 1970s. At the time, he was the president of United States Steel Workers of America Local 12256. Dennis's testimony led to immediate action by President Jimmy Carter ordering NIOSH and OSHA to help the 500 employees at the Hyde Park/Bloody Run Landfill in Niagara Falls who were suffering from cancer and blood-related diseases due to chemical exposure. The workers were able to obtain necessary medical testing and landfill was subsequently closed.
While serving as County Legislator, Dennis also worked full-time as a Niagara Falls building inspector, eventually becoming the city's director of inspections. His true passion though, is working for the people of Niagara County.
Dennis is the son of Carmella and the late Armand Virtuoso, a two-
time Purple Heart recipient and World War II veteran. He and his wife, Gina Virtuoso, have two sons and a daughter. Dennis is a Navy Seal, Vincent works at the Niagara Falls Water Plant, and Gina is a nurse.
Dennis is passionate work over the past 30 years gave the people of Niagara County a voice in government. Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to recognize Legislator Dennis Virtuoso's well-deserved retirement from the Niagara County Legislature. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Dennis for his leadership and service.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 156
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