State Rep. Dennis Ozment, who represents District 37B covering parts of Apple Valley and Rosemount, has decided to retire from the State House seat he has held for the past 24 years.
In a letter published at Rosemount Town Pages, Ozment writes
I have decided to move on and make room for others to serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives and will not seek re-election to House District 37B in November 2008.
…
I have often said there is no such thing as a powerful politician in a democracy. The people elect, so the people decide who has the power. Therefore, the power is in the people. But it is also true that the politician is the one ultimately responsible to make decisions and provide new direction, even when he is enjoying the status quo.
Ozment’s impending retirement will make a tenuous situation for the state Republican Party even more so. The DFL House Caucus is currently five seats short of a veto-proof majority, and Apple Valley has trended toward the DFL in recent elections. DFLer Shelley Madore was elected to the House on the other side of Apple Valley in 2006, but Ozment was reelected without opposition.
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