State Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, has announced he will not run for reelection in 2010. In a statement from the office of Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight -- Hoyle's roommate in Raleigh -- the nine-term Democratic legislator and cochair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee said:
To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose! When I complete this term, I will have served 18 years in the North Carolina Senate. Having had the honor and privilege to serve my community and state in every way that has been asked of me, beginning 45 years ago as mayor of Dallas, it is now the time and the season to welcome the next phase of my life.
After much thought, I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election to the Senate. While I will not seek re-election, please be assured that I will serve the rest of my term with the same diligence, dedication and integrity with which I have served from my first election. Public service has always been a central part of my life and my commitment to our community and our state remains strong.
I sincerely thank my loyal supporters, constituents and family for your faith in me during my Senate service. I am grateful and humbled by the confidence that you placed in me. It has been a high point in my life to be so honored by the voters of my district to serve as your Senator, and I thank you very much for that opportunity.
Second take: Hoyle has been part of the Senate leadership for years, but it now appears that the Senate is about to change in major ways. Longtime Senate Democratic Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, is resigning his office by the end of the year. Replacing him will be Buncombe County Democratic Sen. Martin Nesbitt as majority leader, meaning that power will shift in some ways to the West. Other members of the leadership's old guard may also be leaving. Basnight himself has said he will run for re-election, but longtime observers of the Senate would not be surprised if he, too stepped down.
