Senate Majority Leader Ronnie Chance announced his retirement Wednesday, saying he would finish serving his term but then end a decade of legislative service.
The Tyrone Republican owns an Atlanta-based public relations firm and said he wants to return to private life and spend more time with his wife and young children. Chance served as an administrative floor leader for both Gov. Sonny Perdue and Gov. Nathan Deal before he took his current position, which is among the most powerful in the Senate. He’s also seen colleagues, including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a former Democratic state senator, rise prominently in Georgia.
“We cannot forget why we’re here or who we’re representing,” Chance said from the Senate floor, where he uncharacteristically used notes to keep from getting too emotional. It didn’t work. Senators still gave him a standing ovation.
Deal said in a statement that “Ronnie has served the people of his district with distinction for 10 years.”
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, meanwhile, praised Chance “as an effective and trusted leader in the General Assembly’s upper chamber (who) played a critical role in countless policy issues we have confronted as a state.”
Reed, too, wished Chance well. In a statement, Reed said he and Chance worked together on a number of bipartisan issues. Chance, he said, “has always been a committed and tireless advocate for his constituents in the metropolitan Atlanta region.”
“He is a thoughtful and well-respected public servant,” the mayor said. “Although he is formally stepping away from elected office, I know he will continue to be a valuable asset to his community and to the state of Georgia.”
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