by peter e. bortner
Schuylkill County leaders across the political and business spectrum agree that U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-17, helped virtually everyone in the region during his 20 years in Washington.
"How much time do you have? He took care of his district," Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reiley, a fellow Democrat, said earlier this month of Holden, who represented the entire county during his 10 terms in the House of Representatives.
Even though county commissioners Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier is a Republican, he was just as enthusiastic in his praise of Holden, a conservative Democrat.
"Tim has always represented Schuylkill County very, very well," Staudenmeier said. "It was always a good sign when Tim would call me. He was bringing back some significant dollars."
Holden, 55, of Saint Clair, first ran for Congress and won in 1992 in the Sixth District, which consisted of Berks, Schuylkill and a small part of Montgomery counties.
He represented the Sixth District until 2002, when redistricting placed Schuylkill in the 17th District with Dauphin, Lebanon and parts of Berks and Perry counties. In one of the tightest and most expensive congressional races in the country that year, Holden edged Dauphin County's George W. Gekas, R-17, and held that seat until this year.
Redistricting kept Schuylkill in the 17th District but combined it with parts of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton counties, making it more Democratic, but also more liberal. Scranton lawyer Matt Cartwright bested Holden in the April 24 Primary Election and then won the Nov. 6 General Election; he will take office on Thursday.
For his 20 years in office, in projects as diverse as improving highways, investing in agriculture and modernizing fire companies, Holden improved the lives of countless county citizens.
"No words I can ever express would do justice to the huge impact Congressman Holden has had on Schuylkill County during his 20 years of service in the U.S. Congress," state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, whose district includes Holden's hometown of Saint Clair, said Thursday. "We will never see his likes again."
Business owners liked how Holden helped pave the way for such projects as Highridge Business Park, which is home to regional distribution centers for Lowe's, Sara Lee, Wal-Mart and other national companies.
"Economic development is driven by the team approach," said Frank J. Zukas, president of the Schuylkill Economic Development Corp. "The top of the list was Tim Holden. He was a leader of the team. His office would take the lead. He brought funding to the table."
Although he is a former Republican county commissioner, Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Robert S. Carl Jr. agreed with Zukas that Holden played an essential role in growing local businesses.
"I think that Congressman Holden has been a great partner for the business community," Carl said. "He's always been very cooperative."
Even when their views diverged, Carl said, Holden always explained the conflict and why he could not side with the business community on an issue.
Carl also said that Holden has been helpful on transportation issues, especially those involving Route 61 widening and safety in Deer Lake and Schuylkill Haven, respectively, for which he obtained $12 million.
Staudenmeier agreed.
"He was instrumental in a lot of the highway improvement projects," Staudenmeier said.
Reiley lauded Holden for his help in obtaining funding for a similar project: Union Station, the city transportation center on South Centre Street.
"That would not have been possible without the support and guidance of Tim Holden," Reiley said. Holden, who served on the House Transportation Committee, helped the city negotiate with federal transportation officials to make sure the project went through, according to Reiley.
Holden also served on the House Agriculture Committee, and, in different ways, proved valuable to farmers in and beyond the county.
"Pennsylvania is unique in agriculture," said Barron L. "Boots" Hetherington, Ringtown, co-owner of B&R Farms, whose family taught Holden how to pick strawberries. "We have a mixture of grain, hay, fruits, vegetables, greenhouse."
Hetherington said Holden helped to improve the federal crop insurance program to benefit diversity in agriculture, increased money for agricultural research and made conservation an important agricultural issue.
"(He) made our products more desirable in the markets," Hetherington said.
Hetherington also said Holden combined agricultural and economic development issues by helping to fund construction of the Masser potato plant in Sacramento.
Firefighters also counted on Holden, according to Frank Zangari, who serves as both fire chief of Girardville and president of the Schuylkill County Fire Chiefs Association.
"Tim Holden has been the best friend to the fire companies in Schuylkill County," Zangari said.
Zangari said Holden helped almost every fire company in the county get grants, which helps them save lives.
"They bring fire apparatus, turnout gear, breathing apparatus, rescue tools," he said of the grants. "He provided support and firefighter training."
Staudenmeier said Holden brought back approximately $2.5 million in grants for fire companies.
Losing Holden, on top of the 2008 death of state Sen. James J. Rhoades, hurts all local firefighters, although the county commissioners are helping to pick up some of the slack, Zangari said.
"We lost two of the biggest supporters" of volunteer firefighters, he said.
While Holden was a Democrat, and supported local Democratic candidates, Staudenmeier said that went out the window when it came to obtaining money for local projects, in an explanation that accounts for the congressman's popularity with almost everyone in his home county.
"One thing I'll always remember with Tim. It didn't matter whether you were a Republican or a Democrat," he said. "He worked both sides. He was an excellent congressman and he's a good friend."
Goodman said that Holden's work helped everyone in the county, both Democrats and Republicans.
"Every community in Schuylkill County large and small can point to a particular project and say, 'This project was made possible through the work of Congressman Holden,' " Goodman said. "Timmy will always be remembered by those who worked closely with him for the way he treated everyone equally. Timmy is a son of the Coal Region ... and his heart was always focused on the betterment of the county he loves so much."