The only thing I knew about U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer in my early weeks in Port Townsend was that he decided not to seek reelection to Congress. That was a defining characteristic in my mind because I spent a lot of years in Washington, D.C., and there weren’t/aren’t a lot of successful politicians who retire, without encouragement, as relatively young men.

“Successful” being the operative word, by which I mean, “effective.” More on that in a minute. 

I met Kilmer briefly at the jetty celebration on April 24 marking the completion of the beautiful new seawall. The approximately $12 million replacement had been needed for a decade or more. The celebration annoucement noted the project was “on time and under budget.” I went with the requisite inside-the-beltway skepticism but by the time the story of the jetty had been told in a series of speeches, all cynicism had dispersed. The jetty rebuild included  things like the removal of creosote logs, which made up for the disruption of wildlife the work required. It reflected the coordinated efforts of a lot of government agencies, which started with voters, who supported the levy. That funding was critical to federal and state funding, which is what it made happen.

This was an example of good government, coordinated efforts from the state house to both houses of Congress and numerous agencies and companies.

Of course, I asked Kilmer why he was leaving Congress, and whether the well-publicized dysfunction of the institution had played a role in his decision. Other departing members had said as much. Kilmer looked at me warily, as any experienced politician should with a reporter they don’t know, and essentially replied it was time to do other things, before shifting to things about the day ahead. 

We learned on Oct. 21 where Kilmer, 50, will be going next, which is to a leadership role at the Rockefeller Foundation. As senior vice president, he will lead its newly created U.S. Program & Policy division. In that role, he is expected to engage high-level players, businesses and institutions to advance the mission of the foundation, which is to make renewable energy equitably accessible in building low-carbon infrastructure, among other things. Kilmer will oversee a number of its strategic partnerships, including the Pro-Working Family Tax Policy Initiative. 

Kilmer’s seat in Congress is being pursued by Hilary Franz and Drew MacEwan. But whoever gets the job has a “tough act to follow,” said Eron Berg, executive director of the Port of Port Townsend. 

He noted how tough it is to be effective in Congress. Just getting there is hard and it takes time to get things done. One needs to work into the system, serve on committees and earn a place in order to leave a mark. That means being reelected, which requires “dialing for dollars,” said Berg. “You can’t get anything done if you don’t get reelected.”

Kilmer, elected to Congress in 2012, did it five times. He spent eight years in the Washington State Legislature before that. 

Kilmer got a lot done in that time, participating in big efforts to improve things, like the $12 million seawall. He will be remembered for his work on the RECOMPETE Act, or the Rebuilding Economies and Creating Opportunities for More People to Excel. It established a new federal block grant program at the Economic Development Agency (EDA) with flexible grants. Kilmer also chaired the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, a remarkably successful bipartisan group that deserved a lot more credit than it got. They quietly made 202 recommendations to improve how Congress works, most of them simple. A majority of them have been implemented. 

Sen. Maria Cantwell noted Kilmer’s accomplishments in a statement requested for this piece. “From creating the RECOMPETE program to spur economic development and job opportunities in rural areas, to securing historic funding for salmon recovery, to fighting for tribal communities, Derek has been an effective legislator.” 

Kilmer’s “leadership will be missed in the Washington delegation,” said Cantwell, who also played a role in getting Washington grant money for the jetty along with other projects.  

So what was Kilmer’s secret?

“You meet a lot of members of Congress,” said Berg. “He’s been excellent to work with.”

Kilmer is genuine and personable, cares for the community, and supports it in tangible ways. That makes him a likable guy, and “people want to help someone they like,” Berg said. Kilmer was responsive and he worked hard. And he worked across the aisle to get things done. It was most demonstrated by Kilmer’s  accessibility. Berg called him “my texting Congressman,” because Kilmer interacted that way.

“The secret sauce is being a really good guy,” said Berg.

This story was updated to correct the  names of candidates running to replace U.S. Rep Derek Kilmer.