House Governmental Affairs Chair Ed Rynders Resigning House Seat

Ed Rynders, Republican Representative from Leesburg, will be resigning his seat today, per the Albany Herald, citing health issues.

“Plus, and not a lot of people know this, I had a heart attack in June and needed three stents. I had health issues going back to the last session of the Legislature — I even missed a couple of votes because of these issues, which I rarely do — and knew something was wrong. I’m not one who shares my personal issues with a lot of people, but I was doing some cleaning (on rental property) while Jane was out of town and it grabbed me. I got in my truck, tried to catch my breath, drove home and went to bed. But (the symptoms) did not go away.”

As chairman of the House’s Governmental Affairs Committee and secretary of the Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees, Rynders became something of an anomaly in the House. He became one of the few rural — and even fewer southwest Georgia — representatives to wield a considerable level of power in the Legislature. He also served on the House Transportation Committee, was chairman of the One Georgia Overview Committee, was an ex officio member of the Ways and Means Committee, and served on the Rural Economic Development, Redistricting, and House Republican Politics committees.

Rynders has served in the House for 17 years, which makes him one of the few remaining Republicans with memories of what it was like to serve in the minority party. He’s known for being no-nonsense and a bit….direct. You never have to wonder where you stand with Chairman Rynders, which can be off-putting or even frightening to those accustomed to politicians who speak in flowery platitudes and the excel at the art of smoke blowing. At times, he’s the anti-politician. For those of us looking for direct answers and/or good quotes, that’s refreshing.

Best wishes to him and his wife Jane on their retirement.