Bill Davis resigns House seat to take state post

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By Lesley Weidenbener
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Republican Rep. Bill Davis of Portland is leaving the Indiana House of Representatives but not state government.

State Rep. Bill Davis, R-Portland, is leaving the House to become director of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

State Rep. Bill Davis, R-Portland, is leaving the House to become director of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

Davis, who has represented District 33 in the House for nine years, will now serve as the director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, an agency created in 2005 to promote economic development and growth in rural parts of the state.

Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, a Republican, announced the appointment Friday morning. She said she picked Davis because he has “deep experience” in those areas.

“His leadership in Jay County and as a state representative will make Bill a great servant leader for the Office of Community and Rural Affairs,” Ellspermann said in a statement. “We are excited to have him at the helm helping our OCRA team to work effectively with Indiana’s smaller communities and rural counties to grow jobs, improve their quality of place and attract talent.”

Davis will give up his legislative seat on Nov. 3. He is currently chairman of the House Public Policy Committee, a group that deals with issues including abortion, alcohol and gambling. He is also a member of the Elections and Apportionment, Employment, Labor and Pensions and Roads and Transportation committees and served on the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee from 2005 through 2010.

“I was able to be a part of numerous agricultural and economic initiatives, which I believe will be a real asset in my new role,” Davis said. “Even though I will no longer be serving in the House, I look forward to continuing to work closely with House leadership to do what is best for Hoosiers.”

A caucus of Republican precinct committeemen in Davis’ district – which covers all or parts of Delaware, Jay and Randolph counties – will choose a new lawmaker to serve the rest of the term, which lasts through 2014.

Prior to his role in the legislature, Davis retired from Meshberger Bros. Stone Corporation after 32 years in sales and marketing. He later owned and operated Limestone Products, Inc., a transportation and construction company.

Lesley Weidenbener is editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.