Diane Allen Discusses Her Decision Not To Seek Re-Election To NJ State Senate
by KYW's David Madden
TRENTON, NJ (CBS) -- Burlington County State Senator Diane Allen will not seek re-election this year, ending a 2 decade career in the New Jersey legislature.
Allen, a former reporter and anchor for channels 3 (KYW-TV) and 10 (WCAU) before she entered politics, insists her decision to retire at age 68 comes down to a choice.
"This is the season when people have to decide if they're going to run for another term," Allen (R-Edgewater Park) told KYW Newsradio. "Campaigns are always time consuming and energy consuming and I've come to realize that I can either choose to spend my energy on serving the people of my district or running in a race and I'd much rather serve."
And yes, health issues played a role in the decision.
So what of her final year under the Golden Dome in Trenton?
"I have a lot of pieces of legislation that are out there that deal with veterans issues and women's issues and children and education and just so many things that I'm hoping I can draw support from across the aisle and from my own caucus and get done this year." she said.
Looking back on her 20 year legislative career, Allen is most proud of anti-bullying efforts, protecting abused women and keeping convicted criminals behind bars. Her one regret? That she failed to get elected to the US Senate in 2002. Allen believes she could have done a lot of good in Washington.
