State Senator Luke Kenley has decided to retire at age 72.  He has served Noblesville and adjacent areas in the Indiana Statehouse since 1992.  It has been well known for some time that if you wanted something funded at the General Assembly, getting Luke Kenley on board was a key part of that strategy.

Now that the senator has served in his last legislative session, with his retirement effective September 30 of this year, there are two big questions in the air.

The first is who will succeed Senator Kenley and serve the remainder of his term? Republican precinct officials in his senate district will vote on that issue.  Whomever replaces Senator Kenley in that caucus vote will have a big leg up in the next election round.  How many candidates come forward should be interesting to watch.

Secondly, the leadership in the Indiana Senate will be making a decision on who will replace Senator Kenley in the powerful post of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman.  That is something important to watch.

Senator Kenley has served his constituents well during his 25 years in the Statehouse.  Whether you agree or disagree with his policies, it is clear he always called the issues as he saw them.  You must respect him for that.