Rep. Grey Mills decides to set his own term limit

State Rep. Grey Mills, Iredell County’s only representative in the North Carolina General Assembly, said his decision to leave after only two terms in Raleigh was based mostly on his belief that a state legislator’s job should not turn into a career.

“I know the Founding Fathers of our nation envisioned a citizen-legislature,” Mills said. “And I think the folks in North Carolina envisioned the same thing. I think they wanted folks to serve for a short time, do their jobs in Raleigh for a while and then go back home. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

Mills, a Mooresville attorney, was almost guaranteed reelection to a third term as the District 95 representative if he chose to run. He is well-known and well-liked in Iredell and has done a commendably job during his three years in Raleigh.

And, perhaps more importantly in a district in which Republicans outnumber Democrats by a margin of nearly 2 to 1, he is well-established in local GOP politics.

Mills essentially won the seat when he wrested the Republican nomination from then-incumbent Karen Ray in a razor-thin GOP primary election win in 2008. That primary win was preceded by a contentious campaign between Mills and Ray, a former member of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners.

Mills took nearly 83 percent of the vote in the 2008 general election in his win over third party candidate, Libertarian Jeffery Ober. He ran unopposed last year to win his second term.

And that’s all he wants, for now anyway.

“I love politics and I love being involved in the process,” he said. “I have enjoyed my time in the House of Representatives and I’m proud of the work we’ve done in my time there. But I have made my decision and I’m happy with it.”

Mills said that while his decision was mostly based on philosophical understanding of General Assembly membership, he does admit it was informed also by things of a more personal nature.

“It is a big time commitment to be in the General Assembly,” he said. “And even though Jennifer (Mills’ wife) has always been very supportive of it, I’ll admit that it is a big plus to be able to spend more time with my family and dedicate more time to my law practice.”

Mills’ decision places Iredell County political aspirants in the enviable position of having two open state House of Representative seats up for grabs in the 2012 elections.

Iredell was given a second seat – entirely within the county limits – earlier this year when state lawmakers drew and then redrew General Assembly district maps, which is required by state and federal laws following a U.S. Census.

District 95 will remain entirely within Iredell, with some relatively minor geographical changes.

But districts 79, 89 and 92 will be cleared out to make room for District 84, which will largely be centered around Statesville.

It is highly likely that both of the seats will go to the Republicans who emerge from the GOP primary next spring and Mills said Iredell is brimming with high-caliber potential candidates.

“There are a lot of good people in this county,” he said. “And I have no doubts about us being in good shape after I leave.”

Mills said the news about his decision not to run next year may come as a shock to those outside his close circle of family and friends, but it is not something out of the blue.

“To folks who know me, it’s not a surprise,” he said.

But Mills is also leaving the door open for things political that might present themselves down the road.

“I’m confident in my decision,” he said. “But who knows what the future holds?”