DELAWARE -- Representative Peter Schwartzkopf has officially stepped down as Speaker of The House of The Delaware House of Representatives -- a role he has occupied since 2013.
He will also not seek re-election to his seat in the next election.
The House Speaker role will now be filled by House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst, who will be the first female house leader in Delaware.
The 68-year old retired police officer says his retirement has long been in the works.
After a health scare involving his wife last year, he says he decided to take her advice and step away from politics.
A politics scene, he says, that has become increasingly toxic. He said he hopes the political culture will become less divisive and facts will overcome rumors in media.
The now former speaker said he was most proud of legislation that included marriage equality, the environment, and most recently police reform.
However, he had little to say about his own legacy.
“I don’t care about legacies, my mother used to tell me all the time you don’t have to go around telling people what you’ve done, if you’re doing good things, people will know about it. All I want to be known as is someone that helped people, did good." said Schwartzkopf
He added that he hopes his kids and grandkids will see him as such.
