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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E4]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF JAMES PURTEE, CITY MANAGER
______
HON. JULIA BROWNLEY
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Madam Speaker, after 31 years of public
service, Palmdale City Manager James ``Jim'' Purtee announced his
retirement effective at the end of 2019. Jim began his diverse career
in public service with the City of Simi Valley in 1988. He spent over
27 years working for several city departments in Simi Valley and was
involved in improving access to affordable house, ensuring continued
economic development, and contributing to city planning efforts. In
addition, Jim spent his free time doing community services.
In July 2012, Jim was named as the City of Simi Valley's Assistant
City Manager, where he was responsible for intergovernmental relations
and served as the City's public information officer. While serving as
the Assistant City Manager, Jim obtained S&P rating upgrade of AAA for
the City of Simi Valley. He sponsored a $5 million citywide investment
in replacing technology services and turned a $2.4 million budget
deficit to a $2.4 million budget surplus in just three years. Jim took
the lead on working with city departments to complete a biogas fueling
project for the City's transit buses and implement a $15 million energy
savings and production project. During his time in public service, Jim
managed a $160 million investment portfolio and increased investment
returns by 400 percent over the benchmark and earned an additional $9.7
million on City funds over a six-year period. Jim was instrumental in
securing $780,000 in grant funding to invest in citywide energy
efficiency programs and oversaw countless affordable house programs to
benefit thousands of families.
In October 2015, Jim became the City Manager for the City of
Palmdale. While serving as City Manager in Palmdale, Jim amassed a
number of significant achievements and successes. As City Manager for
the City of Palmdale, Jim obtained an S&P rating upgrade to AA- and
engaged in community partnerships, which contributed to reducing the
City of Palmdale's Part 1 crime rate by over 40 percent in just 5
years. Under Jim's leadership, the City of Palmdale was named as the
44th Safest City in the US, was ranked in the top 15 percent of
fiscally responsible cities in California and as a top 25 city in the
U.S. to Live the American Dream.
Jim implemented initiatives to assist thousands of families in
obtaining safe, decent, and affordable housing. He carried out fiscal
and legislative actions that provided over $100 million in positive
fiscal impacts to communities and worked on cutting edge sustainability
projects such as waste to energy, groundwater recharge, and
acquisition/conversion of 18,000 Streetlights to LED.
During his career, Jim served on multiple boards governing water,
transportation, medicine, and regional planning. He served on the
League of California Cities Fiscal Transparency, Revenue and Tax, and
City Manager Committees. Jim supported the success of Air Force Plant
42 through maintaining strong relationships with all stakeholders. Jim
worked tirelessly to ensure Palmdale, California will be California's
High Speed Rail connection to the Western U.S. and partnered with
academic stakeholders to educate and train the next generation of
aerospace employees.
Jim obtained over $300 million in grants, tax credits, and other
financial resources to invest in transportation, housing, water,
energy, and quality of life improvements for the City of Palmdale. He
oversaw the development of strategic plans for increasing access to
public arts, encouraging economic development throughout the city, and
restoring air service to Palmdale. While serving as City Manager, Jim
invested in local parks, building the City of Palmdale's first dog
park, developing new City parks, and improving existing parks.
Jim was honored by the International City/County Management
Association (ICMA), the premier local government leadership and
management organization, at its annual conference in Baltimore earlier
this year for his significant contributions and achievements in the
advancement of local government administration for 30 years.
An avid supporter of military veterans, Jim has volunteered
countless hours with local veteran organizations. He is also an
advocate for supporting mental health programs, especially with our
local youth population, and has also served on the Board of Directors
for Palmdale Regional Medical Center. Jim holds both a bachelor's and
master's degrees from California State University, Northridge, and is a
graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education for senior
executives in state and local government program.
Jim has been happily married for the past 33 years to Tina, whom he
has known since high school, and they are the proud parents of four
children: Erika, Elyssa, Ariana, and Ethan.
____________________