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Terry Rogers has served five terms in the Georgia House of Representatives.
The political butter churn kept going Monday, as Georgia Rep. Terry Rogers (R-Clarkesville) announced he would step aside after his current term ends.
Rogers’ decision to not run for re-election ensured that residents of Habersham County would have new officials as county chairman, state representative, state senator and Congressman in 2021, along with potentially at least one new U.S. Senator from Georgia.
Rogers said it was his “honor and privilege” to represent Habersham and White counties during his time in the House, touting many accomplishments in the region during the last decade.
“During those years, Georgia has been named the number one state in the nation for business seven straight years, unemployment is the lowest ever in our state’s history, and we’ve helped create close to 850,000 new private sector jobs,” Rogers said Monday in a release. “Our education system has been fully funded through QBE, our prison and judicial system is the model for the nation, and we’ve seen tax cuts passed that impact every Georgian in a positive way. We’ve protected the life of the unborn, strengthened our Second Amendment rights, and helped to preserve Northeast Georgia’s conservative values. It truly is a great time to be a Georgian!”
Rogers said he will continue to seek new ways to serve during his final term and will stay on as Chairman of the Governors Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment Advisory Commission, which he said has taken on a lot of his time.
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but in my heart I know it is the right one,” Rogers said of his decision, which he said he reached after much prayer and discussion with family and friends. He thanked his wife Laura for her “constant love, support, and patience,” as well as Governors Nathan Deal and Brian Kemp as well as Speaker David Ralston for their “guidance, mentoring, and most of all, friendship.”
Rogers thanked God for giving him the opportunity to serve.
“As I finish out my term, I only offer one bit of guidance for those who are serving or seeking to serve,” Rogers said. “The first motto of the colony of Georgia was ‘Not for self, but for others.’ James Oglethorpe set a guideline we would all be wise to follow.”
Former Habersham County Chairman Victor Anderson said Monday he was considering running for Rogers’ seat and would announce his official intentions later in the week.
Qualification for offices begins Monday, March 2 and runs through Friday, March 6 at noon. The primary election is Tuesday, May 19.