A five-term state representative who this year aided Griffith's efforts to secede from Calumet Township, and previously helped derail a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, is resigning from the Indiana House.
State Rep. Kevin Mahan, R-Hartford City, announced Friday that he's giving up his elected post July 31 because he's moving from his northeast Indiana district to take a non-legislative job with Community Health Network in the Indianapolis area.
"Although my resignation was not planned, I simply was presented with a career opportunity that will allow me to enter the next chapter in life in an executive role with a great company," Mahan said.
"Serving House District 31 in the General Assembly has been an honor, and I am thankful I was given the opportunity."
Mahan, a former Blackford County sheriff, is chairman of the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee.
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In February, he added language to House Bill 1177 extending until late 2020 the deadline for Griffith to join another Lake County township, after Griffith residents last year voted to leave Calumet Township due to high property taxes.
Mahan attracted widespread notice in 2014 when he won approval in the Republican-controlled House to delete a provision barring recognition of civil unions from a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state.
The change ensured the Indiana marriage amendment was not eligible for ratification on that year's general election ballot, and the issue ultimately was rendered moot in 2105 after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.