Gerry Connolly, a Democratic congressman and fixture of Virginia politics, dies at 75

RICHMOND Va AP U S Rep Gerald Gerry Connolly an outspoken Democrat who sought key reforms in the federal ruling body while bringing transformational rise to his populous Virginia district died Wednesday He was Connolly who most of in recent times held a prominent position as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee served in Congress for more than years He died at home in the company of family members his family disclosed in a message Connolly communicated in that he had esophageal cancer and explained a limited months later that he planned to retire from Congress A fixture of Virginia politics for three decades Connolly was first elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in On the county board he steered the transition of northern Virginia s Tysons Corner from a traffic-heavy mall area to a downtown business hub In Connolly was elected board chairman and he continued pushing for transportation expenditure that had been debated among executives for decades Connolly sought billions in state and federal dollars to develop the regional rail system s Silver Line connecting the national capital region to Tysons Corner Connolly s dream was realized with the Silver Line s opening in and eight years later the rail line was extended an extra miles kilometers to reach Dulles International Airport As the extension opened in Connolly announced Doing big things is hard the world is filled with naysayers Connolly s local governing body experience launched his congressional career He was elected in after flipping an open Republican-held seat by nearly votes In his triumph speech Connolly commented he would use his position to ensure the federal bureaucracy is a responsive accountable instrument for the people we serve If we insist the ruling body must work for all of our citizens again we cannot fail Connolly explained The spirited and at times bullheaded Fairfax Democrat became known for his voluble nature and willingness to engage in spirited debates In one hearing he accused Republicans of engaging in a witch hunt against the IRS asking a witness if they ever read Arthur Miller s The Crucible Connolly got his first taste of Congress while working as a staffer for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in the s Decades later Connolly became a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs He also served as a member of the House Oversight Committee and led Democrats on subcommittees on authorities innovation and information hardware Connolly cosponsored the Telework Enhancement Act which requires federal agencies to allow a portion of their employees to telework at least one day a week In he cosponsored another bill that reformed federal IT management and has since saved the administration billions of dollars according to the Executive Accountability Office He also closely followed the financial burden of the slowing U S Postal Provision becoming a prominent voice accusing President Donald Trump and former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of seeking to winnow the postal institution to suppress mail-in ballots during the presidential referendum Connolly reached a new milestone late last year as he was chosen ranking member of the House Oversight Committee He defeated Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the position The preeminence came shortly after Connolly communicated late last year that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and would undergo chemotherapy and immunotherapy As ranking member Connolly called on inspectors general to investigate the Department of Ruling body Efficiency He and other Democrats also introduced a pair of resolutions demanding the Trump administration turn over documents and information about billionaire adviser Elon Musk s promising conflicts of interest and the firings of federal workers He explained in late April that after grueling treatments he learned that the cancer had returned and that he decided to step down from his post on the committee and would not seek reelection With no rancor and a full heart I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we ve accomplished together over years he commented