Fighting against the mandatory COVID restrictions imposed on small businesses, a Republican representative has resigned, writing a lengthy Facebook post explaining the reasons behind her decision.
Just three weeks after being re-elected, Indiana State Representative Christy Stutzman announced her resignation, criticizing Republican Governor Eric Holcomb on his response to the pandemic.
In her Facebook post, Stutzman wrote that she was resigning in order to focus on her dinner-theater business in Nappannee, Indiana. She and her husband, former Congressman Marlin Stutzman, purchased Amish Acres ten months ago as part of a group. They renamed the business The Barns at Nappanee.
Shortly after they purchased the business, the COVID pandemic arrived, along with the authoritarian restrictions put in place by the Republican governor.
Stutzman made the announcement on Monday, November 24, attacking Holcomb and stating that her business has been “devastated by the mandatory restrictions put in place by the Governor and health departments.”
Here is her full statement:
“As the co-owner of a newly acquired business at the beginning of 2020, this year has been extremely difficult. We have lost key partners and staff and have been devastated by the mandatory restrictions put in place by the Governor and health departments. We have limped along and our team has found very creative and innovative ways to safely provide food and entertainment for the past 7 months, with no instances of Covid spread. The team at the historic Barns at Nappanee and I have taken on many more jobs and responsibilities than we ever imagined and have made many sacrifices to keep the doors open.
Now, with the recent round of new mandatory Covid-related restrictions issued by the Governor, with no input or approval from the members of the General Assembly, our businesses and family have been set back further and I will be required to devote even more attention to helping our business survive into next year. Due to the instability and difficult circumstances that the Governor’s ongoing, unilateral decisions have created for our business and family throughout this year, the way those restrictions and decisions have affected our business as we enter 2021 and the time commitment that serving in the legislature requires, I have been forced to make an extremely difficult decision.
It is with a heavy heart that I will be tendering my resignation from my position as State Representative in order to focus on our family and salvage our business and the jobs of those we employ. I know that I am not alone in my deep distress at being forced to make such a decision and I am thankful for the prayers of many friends as I have struggled with this decision.
This is not something I had ever thought I would have to do, and hoped would not happen, but with the added burden of trying to keep a business afloat while still fulfilling my role as a wife and mother, I have decided that my family and my employees must come first.
I will be officially stepping down as State Representative for District 49 as of December 14th, and will be making further public statements regarding my replacement and my plans for public service in the future. It has been a great honor to serve the incredible people of District 49 and I will always be thankful for the opportunity I was given to be a strong voice for Elkhart County. May God continue to bless and protect this wonderful community.”
The Republican representative has also been a co-owner for several small businesses including the Legacy Theatre Group, Stutzman Power Equipment, and the Schönbrook Farm & Inn.
Stutzman was first elected in 2018, and won her re-election easily on November 3 with 66.5 percent of the vote against Democrat challenger Amanda Qualls.
Representative Stutzman’s resignation was effective on December 14.
