Tucson Rep. Lena Saradnik announced her resignation from the state House of Representatives on Jan. 7, saying she needs to devote more time to recovering from a stroke suffered two months ago than her duties as a lawmaker allow.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I decided to resign so I could devote more time and energy to my recovery,” she stated in a press release.
Saradnik, D-26, wrote that she wanted to announce the decision before the 2008 legislative session began so her constituents could have adequate representation. She said she hopes to return to public service in the future.
Saradnik’s seatmate, Republican Pete Hershberger, praised her for what he called a “classy” decision to step down.
“She’s thinking not of herself, but of the constituents and the citizens. That’s not an easy thing to do,” he said.
House Minority Leader Phil Lopes, D-27, said Saradnik was “one of the hardest-working legislators I know.”
“I really feel bad for her,” he said. “She liked this. She was good at it. I’m very hopeful she’ll be back.”
State Democratic Party Chairman Don Bivens called Saradnik a “vivacious leader, a dedicated public servant and a tireless worker for her district.”
“Lena and her family are in our prayers for her swift and full recovery. We look forward to the day when Lena runs again for public office,” Bivens said in a prepared statement.
In her only year in the House, Saradnik pushed for decreasing class sizes for children in kindergarten through third grade and increasing the types of cancer screenings that health insurance companies must cover. But she was best known by Capitol regulars for her frequent floor speeches about global warming, during which she pleaded with her peers to enact stricter pollution-control laws to curb the production of greenhouse gases.
On Jan. 15, elected Democrat precinct committeemen in District 26 will meet to select three nominees to replace Saradnik. A replacement will ultimately be selected by the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
Because Saradnik resigned while the Legislature was not in session, there is no statutory deadline by which the Board of Supervisors must act, though the board is scheduled to hold a special meeting Jan. 18 to select a replacement.
Saradnik suffered a stroke Nov. 3 while visiting family in Boston. At the time, family members characterized the incident as “minor,” but media reports since she returned to the Capitol last month painted a different story. The Arizona Daily Star reported in December that Saradnik cannot write and had to learn how to walk and speak again.