Feb 13, 2018 3 min read

The recent announcements by graying musicians that they are embarking on farewell tours have made plenty of headlines, but A-listers like Paul Simon and Aretha Franklin aren’t the only ones eyeing retirements. There have recently been a rash of announcements by lawmakers around the country that they are giving up their seats this year, with many almost certainly deciding they wanted to bow out before voters had a chance to boot them at the polls.

One of the more surprising, though, is the decision by state Rep. John Maher of Pennsylvania’s 40th Legislative District to not seek re-election this year. The 59-year-old Maher made the announcement Saturday, saying it was “simply time for me to get on with my life’s work,” which in the near term will include an appointment as a fellow at Cambridge University in England.

Maher has represented the 40th District, which encompasses Upper St. Clair, Peters Township and a portion of Bethel Park, since 1997, and hadn’t faced a Democratic opponent in a general election from 1998 until 2016, when Andrew Zahalsky, an oncologist from Upper St. Clair, ran against him. Though Maher said in a statement he had “no known opposition for re-election,” it’s not hard to imagine that he might have had a tougher time this year. He would have had to explain an embarrassing, headline-generating June 13 traffic stop outside Harrisburg where he was found to be driving under the influence. Unfortunately, he was not just mildly intoxicated. His blood-alcohol concentration was 0.184 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

Maher was also observed making an illegal U-turn while driving the wrong way on a bypass, and, oddly, questioned the validity of a police officer’s signature on a hospital form when it came time to draw blood. It was Maher’s first offense, and he was sentenced to the accelerated rehabilitative disposition program for first-time offenders. Still, it was a cringeworthy spectacle.

That unfortunate incident aside, Maher has served his constituents well. When we endorsed his re-election effort in 2016, we noted he was not as much of a showboat as some of his fellow lawmakers, but had diligently been working toward solutions to some of the commonwealth’s most persistent problems. We have long appreciated Maher’s advocacy of open records, and he received the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s Bill Northrop Award, named after the Observer-Reporter’s onetime publisher, for his efforts supporting transparency and freedom of information. Maher admirably demonstrated his commitment to open records when he was one of just two Republicans to vote against a 2016 proposal that would have concealed the identity of police officers involved in shootings.

In stepping aside, Maher said he wanted to announce his decision “in time for credible candidates to emerge…” We hope that whoever succeeds Maher will share his dedication and ideals.