Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced on Monday she will retire at the end of her current term, ending the decades-long tenure of Congress’ longest-serving woman legislator and inviting a wealth of reaction from local and national elected officials.
County Council President George Leventhal worked on Mikulski’s staff for five years in the 1990s and told reporters “to say I love her is not strong enough.” Council Vice President Nancy Floreen also worked on Mikulski’s staff.
In his official statement, Leventhal said “all Marylanders should be grateful” for her service:
It is hard to remember now what a seismic change Barbara Mikulski represented when she was elected to the U.S. Senate as one of only two women in that body. Her election sent a signal to America and the world that the U.S. Senate didn’t have to be an exclusive good old boys club. She has consistently been a strong voice for a more open and inclusive politics and her retirement announcement continues that tradition, as it offers an opportunity for a new generation of leadership to rise. All Marylanders should be grateful to Senator Mikulski for her influence and her example. Through her efforts, thousands of jobs have been created and retained and Maryland’s share of federal spending has remained generous. Most importantly, women and men of every background, regardless of where they lived in Maryland, had an effective fighter working on their behalf in the Senate. She has been a force for good in American politics.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, rumored as a candidate to replace Mikulski in 2016, said she’s been a “true champion for the people of Maryland”:
Barbara Mikulski has been a true champion for the people of Maryland. Her first career was as a social worker and a community organizer – and her dedication to fighting for working families and the underdog never once waivered when she came to the House and then the Senate. From kids’ education and seniors’ retirement security, to veterans who fought for our nation and first responders who keep our community safe, no one has been a more tenacious advocate than Barbara.
Her leadership on behalf of working families in our State and across the country has not only been tireless, but historic. She was the first Democratic woman Senator elected in her own right and the longest serving woman Senator in U.S. history. From mentoring female Senators as the Dean of the Women to fighting hard to get the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act across the finish line, Barbara has never stopped working for equality.
Barbara knew how to get people to work together, and brought regular order back to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Her primary goals have always been getting the best value for the taxpayer dollar and the best investment for our nation.
She broke the mold as the leader of Team Maryland, and Maryland and America are stronger thanks to Barbara Mikulski.
Comptroller Peter Franchot also praised Mikulski:
Throughout her trailblazing career in public service, Barbara Mikulski has always been a fierce champion for Maryland’s children, women and working families, and a powerful voice for Americans who otherwise would have been forgotten and left behind. Our state and our country are far better off today because of Senator Mikulski’s leadership. I am grateful for the opportunity to know this extraordinary woman and to have worked with her throughout our years in elected office, and I know that she will continue to fight for those values to which she’s dedicated her life.
Flickr photo via George Leventhal
