State Sen. Greg Ball Leaving Politics

Senator Greg Ball (R, C, I – Patterson) issued the following statement regarding his political future at 9 a.m. May 16.

“As many know, I term limited myself in the Assembly and am proud to now follow through on that same pledge in the Senate. For 8 years I have enjoyed a tremendous opportunity to serve. Those memories and friendships will last a lifetime and I am forever grateful. As an elected official, and unlike many, I swore to make the position my full time job and to not accept outside employment. I kept my word and am proud to have done so, but now it is time to return to the private sector, and eventually, hopefully take time to raise a family.

In just 4 terms I have been through 4 general elections and 3 primaries, and I’ve lived a lifetime of experiences in a condensed period of time. I gave the community every ounce of energy I had, working 7 days a week. I’m proud of my record in public service and honored to have had the opportunity to shape public policy for the good, specifically for service disabled and other veterans, victims of human trafficking and domestic violence, small business owners, sportsmen, seniors, taxpayers, the special needs community and our four legged friends.

I didn’t run for office to embrace the status quo or to make friends, yet I am proud to have kept my independence even while making strong friendships along the way. I genuinely believe in servant leadership and I term limited myself in the Assembly and similarly term limited myself in the Senate. Breaking that pledge was never an option and leaving this seat open two years from now, during a Presidential election where we would be hard pressed to maintain the seat, would have been selfish.

My late announcement was timed with one purpose, to keep this Senate seat in Republican control. Until a month ago, we didn’t even have a replacement candidate and I was never going to walk away from my Republican conference, unless this seat was secure. With Terrence Murphy, I am now confident that we will maintain this seat not only during this election, but also for many years to come. My office will continue to provide excellent constituent and legislative work. On the campaign side, I will remain engaged from fundraising to operations for a solid Republican victory in November. It has been an exhilarating journey and I would like to thank my family, friends and supporters. And no, I am not running for County Executive, Congress or any other position. Thank you and God bless,” said Senator Greg Ball.