Congressman Walsh retiring

I was quite surprised to hear this news (like everyone was!) b/c Walsh is an institution around here (the seat he holds now was previously occupied by his father) and he's been working hard to overcome his support of the war in Iraq over the last few months (the strongest leverage his perennial opponent, Dan Maffei, had against him). Dan came damn close to beating him last time (I worked for Dan's campaign), but this takes the race to a whole new level. Dan will no doubt run again, but many other local politicians are likely to get involved, including the dynamic young Democratic mayor of Syracuse, Matt Driscoll, and Dale Sweetland, a big time local Republican, who lost the County Executive race by just 21 votes (to legacy candidate Joanie Mahoney).

By the by, I don't believe for a second that Walsh just decided it was time to go. I'm certain that he's secured a lucrative lobbying job, just like all the MANY Republicans that are retiring at this time (Dailykos reports that Walsh makes 21) -

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/24/95438/3251

. . . Walsh [is] the 21st Republican representative not to seek reelection in 2008. Worse luck for the GOP: New York's 25th is naturally Democratic turf, though not overwhelmingly. Kerry won the Syracuse-based district 50-48, and Gore won fairly handily, 51-45. NY-25 is currently the fifth-bluest district in the country held by a Republican, judging by its PVI of D+3.4. This race was already expected to be one of the most competitive in the country, and [now] it zooms to the top of the list of the hottest races in the nation. . . Republican retirements have been coming in fairly steadily over the last year, but this one seemed to come out of left field. This is an exceptionally bad district for the GOP to lose an incumbent, and that loss will put additional strain on the beleaguered NRCC.

Here's the slavish piece on Walsh from the local paper if you care (e.g., he and his family had Italian takeout while discussing his plans then he and his wife watched the Tom Hanks movie, Terminal):

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/120125501863600.xml

Friday, January 25, 2008
Post Standard
'It's a Good Time to Go'
10-term congressman says he accomplished all he wanted to do
By Mark Weiner, Washington Bureau

For more than a year, U.S. Rep. James Walsh played the part of a candidate seeking his 11th term in Congress.

He hired a full-time fundraising firm in Washington, held several donor breakfasts a month, and raised more than $600,000. He stepped up his outreach to constituents, staging 12 town hall meetings and telephone conference calls with constituents. He sent out tens of thousands of pieces of mail.

All along, Walsh had a secret. The 60-year-old congressman kept thinking about retirement, a decision he would finally make over dinner with his wife, DeDe, on Saturday and announce to the world on Thursday.
[. . .]
For Walsh, some serious introspection that began after a close call in the 2006 election helped him conclude that now is the right time to walk away.

When his term expires in January 2009, he will end a 20-year career in Congress and a lifetime of public service.

"This last election caused me to think a little bit harder about where I am and where I am going," Walsh said. "I mean, I've been doing this for half of my life. At the end of this year, it will be 31 years that I've been in 10
office in Syracuse (as a member of the Common Council) and Washington."
[. . .]
"Thirty-one years is enough," he said. "I did have a terrific career in the private sector. And I'd like to go back there. It's really about quality of life. I want to have weekends to myself. And when I stay home, I don't want to worry about whether I should be at a meeting or a rally. I want to have a normal life, because I haven't had one."