County Demo Chair Kolbe To ‘Retire From Partisan Politics’
January 2, 2017 at 6:02 p.m.
By Dan [email protected]
Kolbe, a longtime local attorney and former prosecutor, made the announcement over the weekend in a post on his Facebook page.
“I want to let everyone know that after nearly 40 years in the legal and political system I am retiring from partisan politics,” Kolbe wrote.
“In March my term ends as Kosciusko County Democratic Party Chair and I will be passing the seat on to my successor.”
But at the same time, he hinted that he might remain active in some capacity.
“When asked once why he did not attend church, Winston Churchill said that he was a pillar of the church – he supported it from the outside. I hope that will be me in politics in the future.”
His decision comes after a national election that saw Donald Trump win the presidency on the national level and another shutout for local Democrats. The party had several candidates in the fall election, including two state legislative contests, but could not muster any interest in county races.
Tough times for Democrats in Kosciusko County are not new. It’s been decades since a Democrat has held office in county government.
Kolbe has run multiple races as a Democrat, including one two years ago, when he lost to incumbent State Rep. Curt Nisly.
In 1994, he ran as a Republican and won a four-year term for prosecutor against Dan Hampton, who currently holds that post.
Kolbe has been an outspoken critic of Trump on Facebook. He recently wrote a column for The Times-Union expressing concerns about Trump. On Jan. 10, he’ll give a presentation looking at the rise of fascism in Europe. The meeting is open to the public and starts the 6:30 p.m. at the Warsaw Community Public Library.
Kolbe, a longtime local attorney and former prosecutor, made the announcement over the weekend in a post on his Facebook page.
“I want to let everyone know that after nearly 40 years in the legal and political system I am retiring from partisan politics,” Kolbe wrote.
“In March my term ends as Kosciusko County Democratic Party Chair and I will be passing the seat on to my successor.”
But at the same time, he hinted that he might remain active in some capacity.
“When asked once why he did not attend church, Winston Churchill said that he was a pillar of the church – he supported it from the outside. I hope that will be me in politics in the future.”
His decision comes after a national election that saw Donald Trump win the presidency on the national level and another shutout for local Democrats. The party had several candidates in the fall election, including two state legislative contests, but could not muster any interest in county races.
Tough times for Democrats in Kosciusko County are not new. It’s been decades since a Democrat has held office in county government.
Kolbe has run multiple races as a Democrat, including one two years ago, when he lost to incumbent State Rep. Curt Nisly.
In 1994, he ran as a Republican and won a four-year term for prosecutor against Dan Hampton, who currently holds that post.
Kolbe has been an outspoken critic of Trump on Facebook. He recently wrote a column for The Times-Union expressing concerns about Trump. On Jan. 10, he’ll give a presentation looking at the rise of fascism in Europe. The meeting is open to the public and starts the 6:30 p.m. at the Warsaw Community Public Library.
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