Rep. Kennedy Will Step Down

U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) announced last Friday that he will not seek reelection to his congressional seat and will leave Washington next January to return to work for a nonprofit Boston company he founded in 1979.

Kennedy, whose district includes Boston and part of Cambridge, pointed to a need to give more time to family responsibilities, the need for introspection and his renewed management of Citizens Energy Corporation since his brother Michael was killed Dec. 31 in a skiing accident in Colorado.

"This last year has brought me new recognition of our own individual vulnerabilities and the vagaries of life," Kennedy said in a news conference at Citizens Energy headquarters. "In recent months I have come to realize that I have other responsibilities."

If Kennedy had been considering ending his political career, his public actions in the days leading to Friday's announcement gave no hint of his plans. Kennedy held a fundraising event as recently as last week.

Kennedy, who had been thought the heir apparent to his family's political dynasty, has been sullied of late by public controversies from all sides.

In March, his first wife Sheila Rauch Kennedy accused him of verbal abuse when pressuring her for an annulment of their marriage.

These troubles worsened in April when a controversy broke out involving his brother Michael L. Kennedy '80 who was accused of having an affair with the family's teenage babysitter.

Joseph Kennedy originally down-played the brewing controversy over his brother's actions, but as a criminal probe began, questions arose regarding the representative's actions upon learning about the allegations.

The legislator tried to minimize the damage done by the babysitter and annulment controversies by offering a dramatic public apology--an apology viewed by some voters as an insincere act of political deception.

His cousin John F. Kennedy Jr. later dubbed him and Michael "poster boys for bad behavior" in his magazine, George.

Joseph Kennedy, who was contemplating a candidacy for Mass. governor at the time, watched as his poll ratings slumped and he ultimately bailed out of the gubernatorial race.

Kennedy, who is currently serving his sixth term in the U.S. Congress, serves on the House Banking and Financial Services Committee.

He was described by The Washington Post as an "eloquent advocate for poor people and minorities."

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Kennedy's colleague, described him as "one of the few passionate and effective advocates for social justice and race in Congress," The Post reported.

Another factor in Kennedy's decision to leave politics was his responsibility to his brother's three children, who were left without a father following his death. The situation virtually mirrors the circumstances after his father Robert F. Kennedy '48 was killed when Joseph was 17.

"It was a hard decision for us," Joseph Kennedy said. "I am lucky to have a family that has been a great support for me personally...and they felt this was the right thing for all of us."

Student reaction to the Kennedy announcement varied.

"It makes a lot of sense for him to get out of politics at this moment," said Eric P. Christofferson '98, who interned at Citizens Energy last summer. "It's a big loss of influence (in Congress) and a big loss for the district, but there are still strong Democratic forces in the Massachusetts delegation."

Others students were less charitable in their comments.

"We are fortunate that such an incompetent politician who has no other reason for being in Congress besides his name, has decided to call it quits," said Daniel P. Berwick '01, who hails from Newton, Mass.