Thanks to State representative Mark Smith for his commitment and promotion of health and wellness and over the years and we wish him well in his retirement.
We LOVE that he rode his bicycle to the Statehouse in January 2001 to get sworn in and he will ride that same bicycle to his last session this coming January!! #RideSafe
Mark Smith is currently serving his 10
th term in the Iowa House. Before being elected House Democratic Leader, he served as an Assistant Democratic Leader and on the Administration and Rules, Environmental Protection, Ethics, Human Resources, Judiciary and Legislative Council committees. Because he stepped down as Democratic Leader, Representative Smith now serves on the Government Oversight, Natural Resources, Ethics, and Veterans’ Affairs committees.
BIOI remember when twenty years was more than a lifetime. Now, at age 67, it is a blink of an eye.
For twenty years, it has been my honor to serve as State Representative for the good, hard-working people of Marshalltown and the surrounding area. For my first term, I had the honor of representing the people of LeGrand and Timber Creek Townships as well. For the past eighteen years, I have also represented the people in Liscomb, Taylor, Marion, and Vienna Townships. In the last redistricting, I received the honor of representing the people of Bangor Township as well.
And now, I am announcing that I am retiring from public life.
After months of reviewing options, I have decided that it is time for me to pursue other avenues. As was reported by the Times-Repubican, I considered seeking other public offices. However, there are several aspects of my life that have been on hold during the twenty years that I have served as State Representative.
My mother is 92 and while she is in relatively good health and living in her own home, I need to devote more time and energy to her care. My wife, Karen, has been a wonderful companion during these twenty years. Both of us want to travel and spend more time doing the things we enjoy doing together. Our daughter, Allison, was 11 when I first elected and now holds her masters in library science and serves the good people of Washington, Iowa. Reading all the books she recommends will fill a good deal of my time!
For my swearing in as your representative in January, 2001 during a cold and snowy time, I kept a campaign promise and rode my 1985 bicycle from Marshalltown to the Statehouse. I plan to ride that same bicycle from Marshalltown to Des Moines for my last session this coming January.
This is to signify that I am still in good health. I might not bicycle as fast as I once could, but it is still a method of transportation that I use regularly. I began my political career promoting health and wellness and want to end it doing the same.