Craig Ferris is leaving us.
After more than 30 years at The Bond Buyer, Craig Ferris, bureau chief in Washington, D.C., is retiring from his post heading up the paper’s presence in the nation’s capital.
In the contemporary workplace, it’s a rare and remarkable achievement for a person to remain with one organization for that period of time.
We have, as both readers and colleagues, experienced the benefit of his deep knowledge of the municipal market and the inner workings of government. We have all learned and been encouraged by his principled application of his considerable journalistic skills.
Ferris joined the D.C. bureau on Aug. 23, 1976. The country had just celebrated its bicentennial and bond issuance was on its way to a then-record $33.8 billion for the year.
His first byline appeared on Thursday, Aug. 26 on a story titled “House Group Mounts Attack on Loopholes” story about work on a compromise tax reform bill. Not only was it his first byline but it also appeared on page 1, which augured well for a lengthy and distinguished role at the paper.
Somehow, it also took time to be listed in the paper’s masthead. His name first appeared there one month later on Sept. 28.
Ferris covered the introduction of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, a law that has provided the framework for the contemporary tax-exempt market. Late last year, you may recall he wrote a major retrospective on the act on the 20th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan signing legislation into law.
As he heads into a well-earned retirement, we will miss his presence in our newsroom and we wish him only the very best.
