Embattled state Sen. Chris Gerlach announced Monday that he will not seek re-election.
The Republican from Apple Valley has been under fire for taking money from a special interest group through his bulk-mail business at the same time as he was supporting the group's issue -- the "right to work" constitutional amendment -- in the Legislature.
Two days after a GOP colleague blasted Gerlach for the apparent conflict, he made no mention of the controversy when he broke the news to fellow Republicans on Monday evening. He said it was time to focus on his family and his job.
"It's something every legislator who has a family has to think about: earning a living," Gerlach said Monday night as he emerged from the GOP caucus meeting. "This is the sort of job that's easy to do if you're really young or if you're retired, but if you're in your 30s and 40s, and you have a family to support, it's tough."
Over the weekend, Common Cause Minnesota was calling for Gerlach to disclose the client list of his direct-mail company, Capitol Direct.
"Legislators and the public deserve to know whose interests Senator Gerlach may be representing," said Mike Dean, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota. "This business arrangement between a lobbying group and the Senator creates an appearance of corruption."
Gerlach said he'd been thinking about leaving the Legislature, where he's served for the past 14 years, since at least the 2010 election cycle. That year, Republicans won control of the Senate for the first time in nearly four decades.
"Getting in the majority here made it all worth it," said Gerlach, who served as assistant majority leader until a GOP leadership shakeup earlier this year.
