INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Matt Bell, R-Avilla, announced Wednesday he is taking a new job and will not seek re-election in House District 83.
Bell, 35, has been tapped as the head of the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana. This organization was known as the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council but changed its name Wednesday.
“This was not something I expected,” he said.
“But it’s a great job with lots of promise and is good for my family.”
Bell is married and has two young children.
He has been the director of LEAP of Noble County, a literacy program, for several years.
He will withdraw from the November ballot in the next week but will finish his term this year. The start date at his new job has not been set.
Bell has served the district since he was appointed in a 2005 caucus to complete then-Rep. Bob Alderman’s term. House District 83 covers the northwest corner of Allen County, the northeast corner of Whitley County and much of southern Noble County.
Since coming to the state legislature, Bell has become an expert on alcohol and gambling issues and likely would have been named the House public policy chairman if Republicans were to win a majority of seats this fall.
Bell said Keith Busse, chairman and chief executive officer of Steel Dynamics, contacted him in early April about interviewing for the Chamber position.
The group includes about 45 CEOs whose mission is to promote economic development and job creation in the 10-county region.
A statement from the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana said the organization aims to provide a unified voice in shaping public policy that promotes economic growth.
A GOP caucus of precinct committeemen and women will pick a replacement for Bell on the fall ballot in coming weeks. Bell said he has no idea who might be interested in filling the seat and doesn’t expect to endorse a candidate.
In 2005, Whitley County’s Mark Roach and Allen County’s Rudy Mahara also sought the seat.
