From: The Detroit News

Monroe — In Monroe County, it’s hard to miss the influence of Rep. John Dingell.

There’s the John Dingell Bridge, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, a new national park, a trail system that connects the two — all three championed by the congressman — and even the Dingell bags that have been a staple at the Monroe County Fair.

“You can’t walk anywhere without seeing his footprints,” said David Nixon, president of Monroe Community College. “He is everywhere.”

But after 30 years, the Dearborn Democrat no longer will represent the county because congressional redistricting shifts Monroe in 2012 from the disappearing 15th District into a reshaped 7th District, represented now by Republican Tim Walberg of Tipton. Michigan is losing one congressional seat, to 14, because of population loss, and the lines must be redrawn based on the 2010 census.

The new map has some in this county of 152,000 wondering what their influence in Washington will be after they lose their longtime cheerleader.

Walberg already is trying to make inroads here, but acknowledges the challenge of following the dean of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“There’s no way on earth I’m going to step into John Dingell’s shoes,” Walberg said in Monroe. “It’s a different ballgame.”

Dingell entered Congress in 1955, after his father, John Dingell Sr., died. At 85, John Jr. is eyeing a 2012 run in his new 12th District that includes parts of Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Already the longest-serving member of the House — Dingell is in his 29th term — if re-elected, Dingell could earn the distinction for the longest tenure in Congress, surpassing the late Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., who served for more than 57 years in both chambers.

Yet he laments having to depart Monroe, the only county he represents in its entirety.

“I’m very sad about losing Monroe,” Dingell said. “I have wonderful friends down here. … I’ve been delighted to be down here to work with them, to help them. …

“Having said that, I have a policy of never losing a friend. So we are going to keep our friendships up and we are going to continue working with our people down here.”

Dingell has helped champion local projects from a welding center at Monroe Community College to the new River Raisin Heritage Trail.

This year, Monroe’s River Raisin National Battlefield Park became the 393rd out of 394 national park units and opened with a dedication ceremony in May with Dingell on hand.

“He had a tremendous role in this,” said Ronald Jones, a volunteer at the park that commemorates a January 1813 battle in which U.S. soldiers were defeated in a bloody massacre by British and Native American forces over control of Michigan and the lower Great Lakes.

‘The congressman’

Stretching from Monroe to Wayne County, Dingell’s clout in Washington helped establish North America’s only international wildlife refuge along 48 miles of the Detroit River and western Lake Erie shoreline.

“He’s the single most important individual” in its creation, said John Hartig, manager of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge that just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Awards named for Dingell were presented at a benefit dinner in Ontario.

On a smaller scale, one sign of the congressman has been the “Dingell bags” Democrats have passed out during the Monroe County Fair for decades. Long after the bags, which feature a Dingell logo, have been unloaded of goodies, they sometimes reappear at Halloween in the hands of trick-or-treaters.

Josh Myers, who once worked for the congressman, said Dingell has given Monroe a disproportionate amount of attention, because unlike other Metro Detroit counties that share representation, no one else fights for Monroe in Washington. Dingell’s affection for Monroe grew in 2002, he said, after redistricting pitted him against Democrat incumbent Rep. Lynn Rivers. The county voted 80 percent for Dingell, buoyed by farmers.

“I don’t think people in Monroe will fully understand his legacy until … frankly, he moves to his new district because he has been thecongressman for as long as most people can remember,” said Myers, who now works for Monroe Community College.

Monroe moderate politically

Politically, Monroe County swings from Republican to Democrat, and often its voting results mirror larger statewide and national trends. In 2008, a banner year for Democrats, Monroe voted for President Barack Obama and Democratic state representatives. But in 2010, with landslide gains for the GOP statewide and nationally, Monroe voted for Gov. Rick Snyder and two Republican state reps.

Dingell, who has had strong support in Monroe, wasn’t immune to last year’s GOP tidal wave, either. In his toughest general election in recent memory, the county voted in favor of his Republican challenger, Dr. Rob Steele, but Dingell came away with 57 percent of the vote districtwide because of wide support in Wayne and Washtenaw counties.

In this moderate swing county, Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics, says Dingell is a more natural fit than Walberg, a tea party-backed Republican who is passionate about reducing government and questions the constitutionality of the U.S. Department of Education. If Monroe produces a Democratic challenger, Walberg could have problems in 2012, Ballenger said. Former state Rep. Kathy Angerer of Dundee would be an ideal recruit, he said.

Jason Sheppard, chairman of the Monroe GOP and a county commissioner, disagrees with Dingell’s views on taxes and health care, but acknowledges Dingell’s clout has benefited the community and the redistricting could cost influence.

“He’s a staple in the county,” Sheppard said.

Still, Sheppard is excited by the prospect of Republican representation. The day after Snyder signed the new districting maps into law, Sheppard welcomed Walberg on a tour of the county.

Walberg calls Dingell a “legend.” While it’ll take time to take ownership of Monroe, he said: “I hope I’m as gracious and work as hard for this county as he did.”

‘Nobody leaves John Dingell’

Those in Monroe don’t plan to let Dingell go.

“He is still our guy,” said Monroe Mayor Robert Clark, who expects to work with Dingell after 2012.

“Even though he may not be representing specifically this district, he does represent all the people. I think that’s his legacy.”

Last week, Dingell was back in Monroe for the opening of Ventower Industries’ wind turbine tower plant launched with the help of state and federal aid.

Dingell took the stage to big applause. Midway through his speech, Myers, the former aide, noticed Dingell’s voice was not projecting. He dutifully walked on stage and adjusted the microphone as he had done while on Dingell’s payroll.

“The college stole him from me,” Dingell mused. “But by golly, nobody ever leaves John Dingell.”