ORWIGSBURG - There were no Republicans or Democrats Monday night at the Schuylkill Country Club.
There were only Schuylkill County residents giving a grateful farewell to their congressman, out-going U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17.
"He always put the residents of Schuylkill County first," said James C. Bohorad, president of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce. "He was and is Schuylkill County's congressman. At times, he was not always the most popular with the leadership of either party but he has been popular with the voters of Schuylkill County for the last 20 years."
Holden, 55, a native of Saint Clair, lost his bid for his party's nomination in the April 24 Democratic primary to personal injury lawyer Matt Cartwright, Moosic. Cartwright faces home health nursing agency owner Laureen Cummings, Old Forge, a Republican, in the Nov. 6 General Election.
During Monday's reception, sponsored by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and costing $25 to attend, business owners, elected officials and community leaders all praised Holden's bipartisanship and constituent service, as well as lamented its imminent loss.
Monday's program included comments only from Bohorad and chamber executive director Bob Carl. However, among the 203 attending, everyone had plenty to say.
Former Democratic state Rep. James Goodman peered around the crowded room.
"Don't they know he lost," he joked merrily. "He's still packing the place."
Goodman said to find another congressman like Holden one must look back to Ivor D. Fenton, Mahanoy City, who represented the county in the 1950s and '60s.
"It is a very sad night. Tim worked very hard for al the citizens. It didn't matter what party you were, Tim was there to help," said county Commissioner Gary Hess, a fellow Democrat. "Tim never changed. The office never put him higher than the people he represented. It's going to be a void. It's going to take a long time to recover from Tim's departure."
Hess said the county will be especially hurt if the sort of funding Holden steered toward it dries up.
"And it wasn't just frivolously wasting taxpayers' money," Hess said. As former mayor of Schuylkill Haven, his borough is slated to enjoy a $10 million highway widening that planners hope will relieve some of the traffic congestion for which the borough is known. Even more than that, Hess emphasized the millions of dollars in federal grants and loans sorely needed by the county's volunteer fire companies.
Republican county Commissioner George Halcovage holds the same view of Holden as Hess.
"He helped the elderly. He helped the fire companies. He helped the young people get into the military academies," he said. "I believe Tim did what was best for his constituents. Tim heard the concerns of all of Schuylkill County. I'll give you an example - his vote on health care. He believed in his heart that (voting against it) was what his constituents wanted."
"It was a great honor to have Tim Holden for our congressman," former Democratic County Chairman Ed Kleha said. "He was the greatest congressman ever in our legislative district and it is sad to loose the greatest congressman ever in our legislative district. "You get this once in a lifetime."
"Always been a friend of the community," said Democrat Kathy Laughlin Shields. "Whether it was in education or health care or civic organizations, everyone always could count on him."
Goodman's nephew, state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, held Holden up as a role model.
"Standing shoulder to shoulder with Tim Holden these last 20 years has been my life's honor. He represented his district with no regard for party. Through his example, he made all of us better public servants," he said. "As the old Irish proverb goes, 'We'll never see his likes again.' "
Over his two decades in Washington, Holden, a former two-term Schuylkill County sheriff, built a solid base of support by steering his political career through the middle. He was a member of the Blue Dog Democrats, a coalition of moderates formed in 1995 in response to Republican gains perceived as a reaction to an excessively liberal Democratic party.
He held mainly conservative views on social issues and was opposed to gun control and same sex marriage. Also, he often sided with conservatives on pro-business issues; however, he held the line defending Social Security, Medicare and the coal industry. He was critical of globalization, which cost his constituency so many jobs, particularly in the textile industry, and voted against several free trade agreements. He voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
He survived an attempt to oust him through redistricting in the 2002 election. First elected to the 6th Congressional district, consisting of Berks and Schuylkill counties, Holden found himself thrown in a redrawn, Republican-leaning 17th District that included Schuylkill, Lebanon, Dauphin and parts of Berks and Perry counties. Nevertheless, he went on the attack, campaigning heavily in the Harrisburg area and defeating longtime Republican George Gekas.
However, when the 17th District was redrawn earliers this year, it was transformed into a more Democratic-leaning area made up of Schuylkill and parts of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton counties. Holden's moderate positions contributed to his defeat in the more liberal district.
After Carl presented Holden and his wife, Gwen, with a card, gift certificate and an aerial shot of his hometown, Saint Clair, the congressman said he was humbled and, as he frequently did during his career, said it was a privilege to represent Schuylkill County.
"Every tough fight I was in it was Schuylkill County that put me over the top and I will never, never forget that," he said, no doubt with the 2002 race in mind.
Holden then treated the audience to a handful of anecdotes about how Congress works, from wheeling and dealing to get funding for a cancer center in Lebanon County and keeping the Tobyhanna Army Depot burning anthracite to securing $500,000 to repair a bridge Saint Clair.
While some call it "wheeling and dealing," Holden calls it "getting things done," something that he said is not happening these days.
"Congress' approval rating is the lowest it has ever been since they started taking polls and both parties are responsible for that," he said.
Holden was born March 5, 1957 to and Joseph "Sox" Holden, who served four terms as a Schuylkill County Commissioner and played for the Philadelphia Phillies.
John Siney, founder of the Miners Benevolent Association, was his great grandfather.
He attended St. Mary's Elementary School and graduated from Saint Clair Area High School, and attended Fork Union Military Academy on an athletic scholarship. He then attended the University of Richmond on a scholarship but left college due to a bout with tuberculosis. Thereafter, he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology at Bloomsburg University.
In 1980 he worked as an insurance broker and real estate agent for the family business, Holden Insurance & Realty. After working as a probation officer and then sergeant-at-arms for the state House of Representatives he was elected county sheriff in 1985.
He was first elected to Congress in 1992 and gained assignments to the agriculture and transportation committees. He was appointed Vice Chairman of the House Agriculture committee in the 110th Congress and was recently selected to serve as the Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research, and continues to serve on the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee. He is also the senior Pennsylvania member serving on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and serves on the Subcommittee of Highways and Transit as well as the Subcommittee on Aviation.
Holden and his wife Gwen live in Saint Clair.