SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Sen. Patricia Van Pelt said Wednesday she plans to retire from the state Senate next week after 10 years in the chamber.
“It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the people of the 5th Senate District for the last decade,” the Democrat from Chicago’s West Side said in a news release. “Throughout this time, we have accomplished much change to ensure the voiceless are heard and the underserved receive the help they need.”
Van Pelt said earlier this year that she planned on retiring, though she never specified a date. In a Politico story published days before the new Illinois General Assembly was inaugurated in January, Van Pelt said she had thought of stepping down for years but “just got to the point now that I just feel like I can’t come back in here again.”
She was among the 40 Democrats who comprised the supermajority in the new Senate class. But she was either mostly or never in attendance throughout the spring legislative session, which ended in May, without any explanation from her or the Senate.
In an interview with the Tribune on Monday, she said she had undergone two hip replacements but insisted she was still doing work for her constituents, despite not being in Springfield during the spring session.
“I did work for my district and I’ve got plenty of proof,” she said. “Lots of meetings. Lots of Zooms.”
The following day, on Tuesday, she sent a letter to the secretary of the Senate declaring that she’s officially stepping down from office at 5 p.m. Aug. 1.
In the Wednesday release, Van Pelt said she wanted to “thank all who have stood by me over this past year throughout my health challenges.”
“It has been a blessing to serve the people of this great state, but it’s time to pass the torch,” she said. “I will forever be grateful for the people I’ve encountered, the stories they’ve shared and the work we’ve accomplished together.”
Van Pelt, whose district includes parts of the West Side, the Fulton Market area, the West Loop among other neighborhoods, has served in the state Senate since 2013 and was reelected to a fourth term last year. There will be a special election for her seat.
In 2011, Van Pelt made an unsuccessful bid for Chicago mayor.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com
