Rep. Cole Stepping Down From House Seat

On Monday, state representative Leah Cole (R-Peabody) announced that she is resigning her seat in the State House, effective Monday, Sept. 28, to focus on her nursing career.

“From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank you all for your support these past few years,” stated Cole. “Although this has been a difficult decision, I am forever grateful and humbled by the opportunity to serve, and I am excited to finish my education that had been put on hold. Thank you all.”

Having achieved a perfect attendance record for votes in the House, Cole stated she is resigning to ensure the people of her district continue to have strong, undivided attention and representation in the future.

“As many people know, prior to being elected to the House of Representatives, I was working as a nurse full-time and continued to work as a nurse part-time after being elected,” Cole said. “I decided to get involved in public service because I wanted to contribute to our state policies and invoke positive changes, but I never intended for politics to be a life-long career.”

Cole said it has come to a point where she can no longer continue to be a state representative, as well as pursue her passion of nursing.

“Though I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve, given to me by the people of Peabody, I have come to the difficult decision to focus on my nursing career,” Cole said. “It has been an honor to represent the people of Peabody for these past two years, and I have loved working in the Legislature to deliver on priorities for our district.”

Cole has served in the House since 2013.

“Representative Cole was always very responsive to the needs of the City and was always a pleasure to work with,” said Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt. “I wish her well in her future endeavors.

“She campaigned on a pledge to protect the interests of the state’s taxpayers, to promote job creation and to demand government accountability, and she has delivered on that promise,” said House Minority Leader Brad Jones.