After 12 years in the House, Rep. Tim Jerman, D-Essex Junction, won’t seek re-election to his seat in 2016.
“It just felt like it was time,” Jerman said Thursday, adding that he began pondering his political future in January.
“I think after 12 years it just feels like you’ve seen a lot,” Jerman said. “You’ve participated in a lot and you have a sense you’ve had a lot of accomplishments.”
Jerman broke the news at an annual village meeting with constituents in Essex on Wednesday night.
Jerman, 67, was first elected to the House in 2004 and he serves on the Education Committee. A vice chair of the Vermont Democratic Party and a superdelegate to the party convention, Jerman threw his support behind Bernie Sanders in March.
Jerman said he had no plans to run for one of the two open Senate seats in Chittenden County, but added he has not entirely ruled out a future run for some political post.
His decision is the latest in a series of announcements by legislators not seeking re-election. He said the high number of retirements in the House and Senate represented a broad desire to usher in a new generation of legislators.
“We talk more about having some younger people come in here,” he said. “So it’s time to support that in action.”