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[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2374-E2375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

               TRIBUTE TO CROOK COUNTY JUDGE SCOTT COOPER

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Madam Speaker, It is with great pride and 
gratitude that I rise today to pay special tribute to an outstanding 
public servant and community leader from Oregon's Second Congressional 
District, Crook County Judge Scott Cooper. Scott has chosen to conclude 
his service as county judge at the end of this month, and I would like 
to share with our colleagues some background on this special leader.
  Judge Cooper was elected to his post in November 2000, and has served 
two terms in office. Before taking office as county judge, Scott was a 
member of the Prineville City Council, serving from 1997-2000.
  The position of county judge triggers memories of Oregon's great 
frontier history, but the role is not one of living in the past. Judge 
Cooper's colleagues will all tell you one thing definite about him: he 
gets things done. Shortly after coming to office and learning that the 
historic county courthouse had been without hot water for years, Judge 
Cooper decided he was going to get that fixed. Naysayers told him that 
it had been tried before, but it would cost too much and couldn't be 
done. A call to a local plumber and a mere $20 later, folks realized 
the Judge wasn't one to take no for an answer. This isn't the only 
example. Technologically speaking, he brought Crook County into the 
21st Century. When Judge Cooper came into office, many recall that the 
Crook County system of government had many moving parts. Thirty 
different departments worked separately of each other with little 
formal interaction. Without this formality among the departments and 
residents, county administration and budgeting tended to be a little 
chaotic. Judge Cooper's vision led to a computer network being created 
so departments could interact and set up a county Web site where 
residents could keep track of county services and business. Reflecting 
Scott's core beliefs that public service is about fiscal responsibility 
and making customer service a priority, Crook County now works as one 
body for the betterment of the whole.
  Judge Cooper has served not only Crook County well, but has looked 
out for the interests of central Oregon and the State as a whole in a 
wide variety of positions during his

[[Page E2375]]

tenure in office. With a flair for fiscal responsibility and innovative 
management, he is recognized as a leader throughout Oregon on 
transportation, health care, and economic development matters. He 
served as treasurer of the Association of Oregon Counties. He is a two-
term member of the Oregon State Housing Council. He twice served on the 
Connect Oregon 1 project selection committee and served as a member of 
the Governor's Task Force on county payments relief In 2006, he 
accompanied Governor Ted Kulongoski as an official delegate 
representing Oregon counties on the Governor's Trade Mission to Korea 
and Japan. He has also served as chair of the Central Oregon Community 
Investment Board of Directors and the Accountable Behavioral Health 
Alliance, and as a board member of Mosaic Medical, a regional 
community-based health care system serving low-income, under-insured 
families and individuals. He served as vice chair for the Economic 
Development for Central Oregon Advisory Board and two terms on the 
Central Oregon Area Transportation Committee. As you can see, Judge 
Cooper has never let much grass grow beneath his feet.
  Judge Cooper's dedication to his community and state has not gone 
unnoticed. He is the past recipient of the State of Oregon's Economic 
Development Professional of the Year Award, the Economic Development 
for Central Oregon Public Sector of the Year, the Association of Oregon 
Counties Outstanding Service Award, the University of Oregon's Friend 
of Education Award and the Crook County High School ``Pardner'' Award.
  Judge Cooper has been strongly supported by his family and 
specifically his wife, Bend attorney Laura Craska Cooper, and their 
three wonderful daughters. Scott is an outstanding father and a 
terrific advocate for today's youth. In addition to his family 
regularly hosting foreign exchange students, he likes to keep kids 
involved in government by delivering special talks in local schools and 
giving class tours at the Crook County Courthouse.
  In 1857, George H. Williams, a delegate to Oregon's constitutional 
convention, argued about county judges, ``Give us one competent man to 
administer the affairs of the county, whose compensation would enable 
him to devote his time to his duties, and we would have a much more 
satisfactory and economical administration of county affairs.''
  Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize my good friend, Judge 
Scott Cooper, who has proven he is that one competent man, and laud him 
for his years of dedicated public service, his numerous contributions 
to community and for his strong character as a citizen of Crook County, 
Oregon. Scott's leadership for the county will be sorely missed, but he 
is a young and energetic man with many great years ahead of him and I 
look forward to his continued involvement in other leadership 
capacities in Oregon.

                          ____________________
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