Riding into retirement

Old timers will remember the bicycles.
They were a trademark for Jeff Espich back in the early 1970s when the Uniondale Republican first ran for a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives.
Jeff and his family would roll into a town like Pennville with the bikes in the back of a pick-up truck, then pedal around town, visiting with folks and doing door-to-door campaigning. And it wasn’t really a parade unless Jeff was on his bike, waving at voters.
That was 40 years ago when his district included part of Jay County, and last week Espich surprised the Indiana political world by announcing that he wouldn’t be a candidate in this November’s election. His district boundaries have changed, which would have put him into a primary contest against another Republican.
Instead, Rep. Espich decided that it’s time to retire.
The Indiana House will miss him.
Though we’ve often found ourselves disagreeing with Rep. Espich on various issues, his dedication, his integrity, and his service have never been in doubt. You can speak to a lot of politicians before you’ll encounter one as straightforward as Jeff Espich. So we’ll say thanks, Jeff, on behalf of Hoosiers and wish him well in retirement.
Maybe all the free time will give him a chance to get back on his bicycle. If so, he’s welcome in Jay County if his travels bring him in our direction. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]