"I really need more times like this."
Spending such time with his family is partly why the representative for the 74th District decided not to seek another term after spending nearly 24 years, or 12 two-year terms, in the Legislature. Moffitt also decided to leave Jan. 10, 2017, because he had seen the grade separations in Galesburg - two overpasses and one underpass - come to completion (or nearly so) as he intended.
One walk through Moffitt's district office in Galesburg reveals why the rural Gilson resident found it to be such a difficult decision - even more difficult than when he decided to run for the Legislature for the first time in 1992, he said. More than 20 shovels from various groundbreaking ceremonies hang from his office walls, along with photos of Moffitt meeting with politicians Rudy Giuliani, Dick Cheney and a young Sen. Barack Obama, just to name a few.
While it's still "a thrill" to meet such politicians, the feeling does not compare to that of meeting firefighters and emergency responders who serve their communities every day, said Moffitt. Read more.