Today, former Governor and current Senator Richard J. Codey (D-27) released the following statement on Senator Ron Rice’s announcement that he plans to retire at the end of the month.

“It’s a sad day for me and my family, he is probably my closest friend in the Legislature. We’ve shared many good times and many tough times. In my house, I have a big picture of myself, my wife, and Ron from after I won the race in a new district, which could have tilted either way. We won handily and Ron was there every step of the way. I had a good long conversation with him recently where we reminisced about decades of memories and laughed a lot. I look forward to seeing him again soon as he enters this new chapter.

“I look forward to working with whoever fills his seat—they will certainly have very big shoes to fill.”