Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District announced last week that he would retire in November, after having served 21 terms – 42 years – in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Obey is currently third in seniority
in the House and is Chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. While Rep. Obey’s retirement is of specific interest to the people of the 7th Congressional District, we’d like to thank him for his strong and steadfast advocacy for the arts and arts education over his long tenure as an elected official.
Rep. Obey was one of the main supporters and movers of the 2009 $50 million stimulus package for the National Endowment for the Arts, which provided an infusion of funds to help sustain organizations in the arts sector. During the Congressional debate on the stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Rep. Obey made these remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives: “People in the arts field are losing their jobs just like anybody else…You have local arts agencies, you have local orchestras, local symphonies and local arts groups of all kinds who are shutting down, laying people off, and in a number of instances going bankrupt. This is a small, tiny effort to keep some of those people employed over the next 2 years. I make no apology for it. We have an obligation to salvage as many jobs as we can regardless of the fields in which people work.”
Rep. Obey is also well known as an enthusiastic and accomplished musician who has played his harmonica at local and national arts and political events over the years, and has released several albums with his bluegrass band, “The Capitol Offenses.” His first priority in retirement, he has said, is playing a lot more music with his family.
Rep. Obey’s announcement on May 5 set off a flurry of activity in Wisconsin’s political world as Democratic candidates emerged and Republican candidates re-grouped to campaign for the 7th District seat. Fasten your seat belts…
Categories: Advocacy, Leadership