Ro No Mo

Ro No Mo: Foege Retires

Linn and Johnson County Democrats saw a late unexpected retirement today as Rep. Ro Foege, D-Mt. Vernon, announced he was not seeking re-election.

Foege, 69, had nomination papers at the Jan. 3 Democratic caucuses. The six-term legislator first ran in 1994, hoping to succeed fellow Mt. Vernon Democrat David Osterberg, but his career was delayed two years by the 1994 landslide. Foege came back to win in 1996 and, after tough early races, faced weaker challenges in later years. Foege was also an early political ally of another Mt. Vernon Democrat, Congressman Dave Loebsack.

The retired social worker and former Marion school board member focused on health care, child abuse, foster family care, adoption, and mental health issues during his House tenure, and took over the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee chair when the Democrats took over the house in 2006.

"It's time for me to start the next chapter of my life. I look forward to spending more time traveling with my wife, Susan, and spending more time with our children and our grandchildren," Foege said in a press release.