State Sen. Bruce C. Ennis, D-Smyrna, who has served in the Delaware General Assembly for four decades, announced Thursday that he will be stepping down at the end of his term in November.
“Serving in the Delaware General Assembly has been a great privilege and honor that I will cherish,” Ennis said. “Knowing that the people placed their faith in me to represent their interests in so many different ways, on so many important issues, is both humbling and gratifying,” Ennis stated in a release. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
After graduating from John Bassett Moore High School, Ennis joined the Delaware Air National Guard, where he rose to the rank of sergeant, and spent 20 years as a Delaware State Police Trooper, retiring in 1982 at the rank of Staff Captain. He is also a life member of Citizens’ Hose Company in Smyrna, where he has served as Fire Chief, President, and numerous other administrative and line officer roles over the past 63 years.
Ennis was first elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1982, when he succeeded the late Robert W. Riddagh, a former Speaker of the House. He won re-election to the seat 12 times. He went to the state Senate after winning a 2007 special election to succeed the late James T. Vaughn, Sr. The voters of the 14th District re-elected Ennis to that seat four times.
Ennis was a champion of first responders, farmers and the horse-racing industry, during his time in the General Assembly.
“Bruce Ennis is one of the most honorable and kind-hearted people I have had the honor to serve alongside here in the Delaware General Assembly,” Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola stated. “His generosity and dedication to his constituents are as legendary in this building as his unwavering commitment to the public and the small-town way of life he has worked so hard to preserve in Kent County.”
Sen. Nicole Poore said Ennis will be deeply missed by his colleagues and the people of Delaware alike.
“Bruce is a friend to all, regardless of party affiliation or address,” she said. “What he cares about is you as a person, is your family well and what he can do to help. His retirement will be a loss to all of us who have come to depend on his advice and guidance, but a well-deserved reward for him and his family.”
Ennis is one of a number of veteran legislators who have stepped down in recent years. His district could be a potential pick-up for Republicans whose members in the Senate are confined to areas south of the C&D Canal.
Ennis is perhaps the most conservative Democrat in a state Senate that has moved to the left over the years and now has a firm Democratic majority. Gone are downstate Senate Democrats with views that were more akin to those of Ennis.
