He’s outta here!

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State Rep. David Lewis, arguably the second most powerful member of his chamber,  has announced his “retirement” from the North Carolina House:

 

On Friday, Representative David R. Lewis (R-Harnett) announced that he will be withdrawing his name from the November General Election ballot, finishing out his term after 18 years of public service to the State of North Carolina and the people of Harnett County.

 

Rep. Lewis offered the following statement: “Since 2003, I’ve had the honor and privilege of representing the people of Harnett County, and I’ve taken this great responsibility seriously, offering everything I have and everything I am in service, to improve the lives of my neighbors and our community. I’m proud of the growth both in our Great State and within our beloved County, and I know the future of our community is strong.”

 

“In this esteemed legislative body, I have learned from spirited debate while showing respect for my political adversaries by avoiding personal attacks. A few years ago, President George W. Bush stated, “too often we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our best intentions.” I challenge each one of us to focus on debating the ideas while not seeking to personally destroy those with opposing ideology.”[…]

 

Just curious.  Does coordinating with lobbyists to raise money to primary a fellow Republican House member who was asking Republican leaders a lot of uncomfortable questions count as a “personal attack”?

 

MORE:

 

[…]“It has been one of my greatest honors to serve in the House, surpassed only by marrying my wife Michelle and being the father to our three beautiful children. I love my wife and kids and I recognize that their sacrifice has been measurably greater than my own, because they really didn’t have a say in when Dad was coming home. My service in the House has come with great personal sacrifice and loss of valuable time with my family, as well as my livelihood. I will never be able to truly know how many times my assistance with homework was missed, or how many ballgames, school award ceremonies, church events, family vacations, and all the once-in-a-lifetime moments that I have forgone while serving in the House.”

 

“The time has come to focus my energies in new directions, and to allow another capable leader to serve in this important role. As such, I have decided to not seek re-election. I remain steadfast in my commitment to the people of House District 53 and will fulfill the remainder of my term in service to our community.” […] “Finally, I want to thank the people of Harnett County for electing me to the General Assembly, and allowing me to serve you for 18 years. Words cannot express how grateful I am to each of you for the providing me with the opportunity to serve.”[…]

 

Sooooo —  after EIGHTEEN YEARS he’s just realizing that he needs to spend more time with the family? Well, there’s also that nice little pile of  lawsuits that has gone public.  I imagine it’s hard to focus on the “game” in Raleigh when you’ve got that kind of stuff breathing down your neck.  (Lawsuits can’t be, um, “disappeared” as easily as Ethics Committee complaints.)

 

Now, if we could just get Tim Moore and Jason Saine out of the way, we might be able to have some semblance of that “conservative revolution” we were promised back in 2010.