Rep. Joe John will be sorely missed

The Bottom Line from NC Newsline

Rep. Joe John (Wake Co.) (Photo: NCGA)

In today’s world of politics in which the goal of so many politicians seems to be about converting their elected office into a gig as a highly paid lobbyist or TV pundit, Wake County State Rep. Joe John was a welcome exception.

John, who passed away last week after a battle with cancer, was that rare public official — by modern standards anyway — who just wanted to serve his community and leave it a better place than he found it.

John spent many years as an extremely capable and well-respected judge who served on the District Court, Superior Court and Court of Appeals. He also served as the director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation before running for and winning a seat in the state House in his mid-70’s.

And in the legislature, John was a smart, tough, energetic and eloquent champion of putting government to work to make life better for average people and those in need.

The bottom line: Our state would be a much better place if it had more public servants like Joe John. He will be sorely missed.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.