Rep. Natalie M. Blais Statement on the Passing of Former Congressman John Olver of Massachusetts

John Olver was respected for being a workhorse, not a showhorse. 

As staffers, John expected a great deal of us. Those expectations challenged us personally and professionally. He tasked us with providing the very highest level of constituent services and with understanding the heartbeats of the communities we served. The projects John championed through the years were successful because they were driven by the communities. 

We strove to know as much as John about policies and projects. This, of course, was impossible but it taught us the value of being prepared. And John expected the same of everyone. God help the poor person or organization meeting with him that didn’t know their project inside and out!

John taught us the value of asking the difficult questions no matter how uncomfortable it made anyone in the room. Those questions drilled down into the heart of the issues at hand. He made it a priority to identify the right stakeholders and bring them to the table. The practice of fully examining an issue or policy from every angle, turning it inside out and upside down, led us to the very best product in the end.

All of us who had the honor of working for John Olver bring these lessons with us. We are better people and public servants because of it. Hopefully, we’re all a little bit more workhorse than showhorse as a result of what we learned from John.

My deepest condolences to John’s family during this difficult time.