Rep. Ashe will not seek re-election

The Peach Pundit reported Friday morning that State Rep. Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta) will not seek re-election after her current term expires next January.

Since 1991, she has represented the 56th District, which currently includes the heart of Atlanta, including many Midtown Patch neighborhoods such as Ansley Park, Sherwood Forest, Home Park, Georgia Tech and Midtown.

The former Republican appears to be frustrated by the lack of middle ground between Democrats and Republicans.

In a letter dated April 10, 2012, she writes, “As a ‘raging moderate’ I have increasingly found myself caught between the far right and the far left.”

She echoed the sentiments of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who in February announced she would not be seeking re-election in the fall. Wrote Ashe, “In all legislative bodies it appears finding ‘common ground’ so that we can achieve results for the ‘common good’ is happening less and less often. Instead, too many politicians seek to create winners and losers.”

Patch was unable to reach Ashe for comment. The full context of her letter can be found here.

Ashe said she would continue to work actively until her term concludes in early 2013. When it does, she will be "66 years young" and will have served the district for more than 21 years.

A former Georgia public school educator, Ashe serves on the Education, Children and Youth, Higher Education and the Interstate Cooperation committees in the Georgia House of Representatives.

When her term wraps up, she indicated she would spend more time with family, including a trio of grandchildren. She added that public policy and educational issues, especially early childhood learning, would remain among her passions.

“I want to spend my time and resources more productively than the current polarized situation permits,’’ Ashe wrote in her letter.

What do you think of the news that Ashe will not seek re-election?