Delaware State Rep. Joe Miro (R-Pike Creek Valley) announced on the floor of the House today that he will not seek re-election come the end of his term in November.
Miro was first elected in 1998 and served 10 consecutive terms in New Castle County’s 22nd District. Prior, he’d spent 31 years teaching at Newark High School.
Miro, who’s 72nd birthday will come two weeks after the conclusion of the 149th General Assembly legislative session on July 1, 2018, said he’s leaving to travel and spend time with family. He is a Cuban immigrant, born in Mantanzas, and arrived in the United States 56 years ago at the age of 15. He was one of 14,000 youths who found a life in America between December 1960 and October 1962, fleeing the regime of Fidel Castro.
“I’m very happy to have come to here,” said Rep. Miro, who attended high school in Delaware and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at nearby colleges. “I have five kids and a wife of 49 years, so I was really very fortunate to come to a wonderful place like Delaware, where I was able to take advantage of the opportunities this country has to offer. One of the reasons I ran for office is that I wanted to give back to this country for the opportunity it’s provided to me and my family to have the American Dream.”During his time in office, he’s served as the chair of the House Economic Development, Banking, and Insurance Committee, served as a member of the Joint Finance Committee –a group pf 12 legislators charged with crafting the state’s annual multi-billion operating budget–and helped facilitate better economic ties between Delaware and Taiwan.