This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 4, 2011 - WASHINGTON - In a surprise decision that is likely to change the political landscape in Metro East, U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello said Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to Congress in 2012.
Costello, D-Belleville, made the initial announcement at a morning press conferences at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia and at an early afternoon session at the Paul Simon Federal Building in Carbondale.
"It has been a privilege and an honor to serve in the U.S. Congress for the past 23 years. However, I said when I was elected in 1988 and many times since that I did not intend to stay in Congress forever as I had other interests that I wanted to pursue," Costello said.
Saying that he intends to complete his current term of office ending in January 2013, Costello added that he did not plan to retire -- but declined to say exactly what his plans are. "You can't go from 100 mph everyday and just stop. I intend to continue to go full speed pursuing other interests and opportunities that may come along."
Costello said that he was proud of his record in Congress -- in particular his work improving the transportation network of southwestern and southern Illinois, enhancing Scott Air Force Base and supporting educational opportunities at Southern Illinois University.
He also expressed gratitude to his family, supporters, staff and the district's voters. "I will miss the people but not the weekly commute from home to Washington, D.C.," he said.
Costello has represented a mostly Democratic 12th congressional district -- which now extends from Metro East south to the southern tip of Illinois at Cairo -- since August 1988, when he filled the term of the late Rep. Melvin Price. Costello began his first full term that November and has been reelected every two years since then.
A source close to Costello said Tuesday that "he's been thinking about this for quite a while," and recently made the decision, which is not related to health issues. Costello turned 62 last month, and his congressional district was recently altered under the Illinois redistricting map.
His son, Jerry Costello II, was recently appointed to fill a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives. The younger Costello lives in Smithton.
The elder Costello, a former chairman of the St. Clair County board, has been especially active in transportation and infrastructure issues in Congress, chairing an important aviation subcommittee until this year, when Republicans took over the House leadership.
Costello's retirement is likely to lead to a lively race for his seat in Congress. While Illinois Democrats who drew the state's new redistricting lines this year tried to preserve a Democratic majority in Costello's redrawn district, Republicans believe they have a better chance of winning the congressional seat under the new boundries. (Elsewhere in Illinois, the new maps appear to make four or five incumbent Republican House members more vulnerable.)
A former mayor of Belleville, Roger Cook, told the Belleville News-Democrat recently that he plans to run for the Republican nomination for Costello's congressional seat. Another Republican, Jason Plummer -- the party's lieutenant governor nominee last year -- also has said he was interested in the race.
A spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Andrea Bozek, said in a statement that Costello "saw the writing on the wall" and realized that he might not be able to win re-election. "After years of listening to Jerry Costello pay lip service to fiscal responsibility, Illinois working families will finally have the chance to elect a candidate that truly represents their values." The NRCC had begun to target the district after the redistricting map was drawn.
According to the Washington Post, about 55 percent of the voters in Costello's re-drawn district had backed Presidential Barack Obama when he won his home state in 2008. But last year, the revised district's voters favored the GOP's candiates for U.S. Senate and Illinois governor.
Costello called several congressional colleagues on Tuesday morning to inform them of his decision. A longtime friend, U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, said afterward that Costello's retirement represents "a great loss for southern Illinois and a personal loss for me."
"While we hail from different political parties, I have counted Jerry as one of my closest friends and confidants," Shimkus said in a statement. "I have been amazed at the productivity of Jerry in meeting the needs of the working men and women that he represents. In the House majority or in the minority, Jerry always seemed to get the job done. Regardless of who held the White House, Jerry was always able to get the work done."
Noting that he has called Costello "the patron saint of Scott Air Force Base," Shimkus added: "Well, even patron saints retire, which will cause all of us to work a little harder to fill this gap."
President Barack Obama, who knows Costello from his years representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate, said that he and Michelle Obama "want to join the people of Illinois in thanking Congressman Costello for his service, and we wish him and his family well in the future."
In a statement, Obama added: "For over two decades, Jerry Costello has proudly represented the people of southwestern and southern Illinois. Born and raised in the state he now serves, Jerry has distinguished himself as a fierce advocate for improving our nation's transportation infrastructure to ensure Illinois and the entire country are prepared to lead the way in a 21st-century economy."
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement that "Jerry Costello is without question the most effective advocate for his district that I have worked with in Congress. As one example, his energy and skill did more to save Scott Air Force Base from being closed by the BRAC [military base-closing] process than any other factor. I will personally miss his leadership and his counsel in our Illinois delegation."
Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who served in the House with Costello for years before being elected to the Senate last fall, said that Costello is "a dear friend and a respected transportation expert in the Congress. He has many Republican and Democratic admirers. I will miss him greatly."
Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, told the Beacon that he was shocked by the news. "Jerry Costello is a great friend and a tremendous legislator," said Clay, who often sits with Costello when they fly back and forth between Washington and St. Louis. "Our entire region has benefitted from his strong and effective leadership for decades. He's always been someone I work closely with on regional projects."
Tom Irwin, executive director for Civic Progress, which represents the St. Louis business community called Costello's decision not to seek reelection a "tremendous loss -- Congressman Costello is a giant in the House of Representatives."
Costello is the 13th House Democrat so far who won't seek reelection in 2012, The Cook Political Report says that all but five of those Democrats will be seeking a higher office. Up to now, six House Republicans have said they will run for a higher office, but no Republican House members have said they plan to retire outright.