SpringfieldNewsSun.com

WASHINGTON — Dave Hobson has one month left in his last term in Congress, but he's already trying to acquaint himself with what life will be like after he retires.

His wife bought him a computer for his birthday and he has a personal e-mail address.

He's unloaded the contents of his Alexandria, Va., apartment into his garage in Springfield. He toyed with the idea of selling his stuff on craigslist, but decided not to.

He's talking to local colleges about teaching, and law firms about consulting work. He's renewed his real estate license.

As for Congress, he knows it's time to go.

"I sense it's time, but I don't want to recognize it's time," he said. "It's bittersweet. I enjoyed it here."

Cardinal status

For nearly two decades, Hobson, 72, has been one of Ohio's power brokers in Congress. Along with longtime U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula, R-Navarre, who is also retiring, Hobson, R-Springfield, made a name as a cardinal — one of the handful of lawmakers who chair the House Appropriations Committee subcommittees.

When he decided to retire, he handed out a coin to well-wishers emblazoned with a cardinal. The bird signified Ohio — it's the state bird — but it's also an acknowledgment of the status he achieved as a player in Washington.

As a cardinal, Hobson bucked the Bush administration on issues including the use of nuclear weapons, and worked to revamp how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prioritized projects.

Helping his constituents

But locally, he'll be remembered for the millions of dollars he helped garner for the Miami Valley for projects as diverse as infrastructure for the NextEdge Technology Park outside of Springfield, money for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and for the cleanup of the former Mound Department of Energy site in Miamisburg.

"I don't think we'll ever see anyone with his ability to bring money back to Ohio again in our lifetime," said Michael Gessel, vice president of government relations at the Dayton Development Coalition.

Some of the earmarks Hobson is proudest of are the smaller ones. Twenty-six years ago, he was driving near Wilberforce and nearly ran out of gas.

Over time, it chafed him — he thought that students at the nearby historically black universities of Wilberforce and Central State deserved a place to buy gas and convenience items.

In 2001, he put $800,000 into a funding bill and helped locate a Speedway near the two schools.

He argues the station also helps Speedway, which can diversify its work force by hiring from the pool of mostly black students.

But earmarks like that one have earned him a handful of detractors. David Williams, vice president of Citizens Against Government Waste, points to that earmark as evidence that Hobson "is the epitome of a pork-barrel congressman," he said. "But he's leaving, so I guess it's 'don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.' "

John Landess, executive director of the Turner Foundation, a charitable foundation in Springfield, said he believes Hobson was unfairly chided for the gas station earmark. Hobson, he said, saw a need and worked to fill that need.

"One thing you can't disagree with is the fact that he really cares about the region," he said.

Landess said in recent weeks Hobson has been instrumental in working to iron out differences between supporters of the for-profit Ohio Valley Medical Center in Springfield and the nonprofit Springfield Regional Medical Center. Hobson, Landess said, recognizes it's important for the community to have first-rate health care.

"He's one of the few people who's really had the weight to really work in between the two entities, and I think he's making a big difference," he said.

Others say Hobson used his time and his power in Congress to help a region struggling from manufacturing job losses.

Warren Copeland, a Democrat who is mayor of Springfield, called Hobson "totally committed to doing whatever he could to help Springfield."

Without Hobson, he said, Springfield's Air National Guard base would lie dormant. When the federal base realignment and closure commission decided in 2005 to end flight training at that base, Hobson lured the Royal Danish Air Force to the site.

And without Hobson, Copeland said, the region would've flailed helplessly when it began hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs. Copeland said Hobson spent the last five years working to help Springfield make the transition from industrial manufacturing to high-tech manufacturing.

"He's somebody who is a man of his word," Copeland said. "He follows through on things."

Getting started

Hobson was recruited into a political career in 1981, when a buddy urged him to run for state representative. He did — and lost. But four weeks later, then-state Sen. Paul Gillmor helped Hobson land an appointment to the state Senate.

His career proceeded apace. He became a committee chairman, then whip, then president pro tempore.

When then-U.S. Rep. Mike DeWine decided to run for lieutenant governor, it was a natural progression: Hobson decided to run for DeWine's seat in Congress.

"I was not unhappy in the state Senate," he said, "but there was no place else for me to go. And the opportunity to walk into the U.S. Congress without a real fight? Geez, that decision was easy."

Reflections

Looking back over the past 18 years, Hobson says he isn't just proud of the money he's gotten for the region. He helped spearhead the privatization of military housing, and "that changed the lives of a lot of kids and a lot of families."

And he's proud of the AIDS anti-discrimination bill that he shepherded through the Ohio Senate. Decades after he pushed it through, he still calls it one of his biggest achievements.

Still, he wishes he could have done more.

"I wish we'd done more on green buildings," he said. "All new construction in this country should be green."

Other items on his wish list include more advances on nuclear power, approval of a .40 or .45 caliber pistol for the military and more health care initiatives.

"One of the things you learn is you can't do everything," he said. "But I think we made a difference in a number of areas."

Hobson said his career in Congress was a "natural extension" of both his real estate career and his time in the Ohio Senate.

Copeland agrees. Hobson, he said, was successful because of his ability to make the deal.

"Part of making the deal is understanding what each interest is and finding a way to make everyone feel like they got at least part of what they wanted," he said. "I think he does that."

That pragmatism earned him the trust of Democrats. When Democrats took back the majority of Congress in 2006, Hobson suffered minimally. He said he got more earmarks as a member of the minority than he had the year before.

He also was invited to travel with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an old friend from when she served on appropriations. He would bring her dark chocolate from Marie's Candies in West Liberty.

Well-wishers abound

"Congressman Hobson has earned the title "Honorable" during his time here," Pelosi said, "and he will be missed by me and all his colleagues."

Other Democrats also offered praise.

"Dave Hobson is, in my estimation, one of the best men in Congress," said U.S. Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. "He's well-traveled, well-liked, he understands how the system works and he doesn't take things personally. He's one of the best politicians you could have."

His fellow Republicans, too, say he will be missed.

"He has been a tireless champion for our troops and for all of his constituents, for whom he has been an indispensable resource and advocate," said House Minority Leader John Boehner. "Affectionately known as 'Uncle Dave,' Hobson has been my good friend for many years. I will miss his quick wit and easy laugh, and I wish him the best in his retirement."

Hobson got close to retiring in 2000, and even sold his Alexandria condo. But in the end, he couldn't do it.

"There's lots of joy in it — the joy of giving back," he said of his time in Congress. "I was raised to be a Methodist minister, but I didn't have the guts enough to do it. I think this is my way of giving back."