Sunday, April 03, 2016

State Rep John Rubin Announces He Is Not Running for Reelection

In a recent release State Rep John Rubin has announced that he is not running for reelection.

Portions of that release are shown below.
 
 
******
 
As many of you may have heard by now, after thoughtful consideration, my wife Birdie and I arrived at the difficult decision some months ago that I would not run again this year for a fourth term as your 18th District Representative in the Kansas House of Representatives.
The purpose of this message is two-fold:  First, to tell all of you, particularly my Shawnee constituents and those of you who have honored me with your support, of the reasons for my decision, and to thank you for the privilege of serving you in the Kansas Legislature for the past six years.  And second, to announce my wholehearted support and strong endorsement of Eric Jenkins, Shawnee Ward 2 City Councilman, who has filed for my seat, to replace me as your Representative in the Kansas Legislature.
Let me begin with a few personal remarks about the reasons why I have chosen not to be a candidate for the 18th District seat again this year.  Clichés about why people retire from public service are nonetheless true just because they are clichés.  Birdie and I have indeed rued our inability to spend more time with our daughters and their families who reside out of state, and now eagerly anticipate the prospect of visiting them more often.  In addition, I am truly considering other career opportunities both inside and outside of government.
But most of all, I am leaving the Kansas Legislature with a strong sense of accomplishment, of achieving so much of the public policy changes, of advancement of the conservative principles and values that prompted me to run for office in the first place.  Allow me to summarize some of them.
I have represented the 18th District (eastern Shawnee, KS) in the Kansas House of Representatives for the past six years, having been first elected in 2010, and re-elected in 2012 and 2014.  I have chaired the House Standing Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice for four years, and I have also chaired the Interim Joint Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee for the past year.  In addition, this term I have served on the House Judiciary and Veterans and Homeland Security Committees, and in the past on the Pensions and Benefits and Federal and State Affairs Committees as well.  For the past four years, I have also served on the Kansas Sentencing Commission and the Kansas Judicial Council’s Criminal Law Committee.  And I co-chaired the Kansas Juvenile Justice Workgroup during the 2015 interim, and was central in the report of the Workgroup recommending comprehensive reforms of Kansas’ juvenile justice system.
May I say that I have been the prolific author, lead sponsor and/or carrier of a myriad of the most important legislative accomplishments in the State of Kansas over the past six years.  A short list of the most important and influential bills, resolutions and policy initiatives which I have championed and shepherded through the Legislature that have had the most significant and far-reaching effects to better the lives of all Kansans includes the following:
Promotion of open government accountability and transparency to the public:
Principled advocacy of a culture of life and protection of our unborn children:  
Enforcement of the rule of law and preservation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution:
Fighting to protect the health and well-being of all Kansans, particularly our disabled children: 
Promotion of Kansas businesses, free enterprise and entrepreneurship to grow the economy and create jobs: 
Recognizing my extensive record of legislative accomplishment and achievement in all of the above matters, and many others, The Kansas City Star named me a 2014 legislative “winner;” The Star and the Wichita Eagle have recently dubbed me “highly respected” in the Legislature; and the state’s political newspaper of record, The Topeka Capitol-Journal, in its lead editorial on March 22, 2016, said: “Rubin, an attorney and arbitrator, is immensely qualified to chair [the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice] committee and has done an admirable job as chairman.”
*****
Follow this blog to see why John endorses Eric Jenkins as his replacement.