One of the legislature’s top Democrats is resigning. Sixty-eight-year-old House Democrat Leader Dick Myers of Iowa City is resigning, effective July 1st, for health reasons. Myers says there are different things to do in life, and after a 34-year-long political career at the state and local level, he’s ready to spend more time at home. As for that health problem — he isn’t sharing details — Myers says he’ll “live through the morning” and it’s “nothing to worry about.” Myers says there are just other things he wants to do in life, and it’s time to leave the legislature. Myers says politicians need to take a dose of reality, and he says “the republic will not fail because Dick Myers isn’t here.”Myers, a business owner — he now runs the state’s largest Harley-Davidson dealership, has always been plain-spoken, with a certain flair. Myers has been Democrat Leader in the Iowa House for the past three years. He’s held elective office since 1969, serving as a Johnson County Supervisor, as Coralville Mayor and a candidate for Congress. Myers says getting elected to public office was a life-changing experience.As for what’s next, Myers says he’s always wanted to be a school teacher, but is probably too old for that now. Myers says he’s always wanted to write a book, but he doesn’t want it published until he’s been dead for 25 years.
