State Sen. Betty Little speaks Nov. 1 at the Saranac Lake village offices. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, announced today that she will not seek reelection and will retire from the Senate at the completion of her term on Dec. 31, 2020. She has represented the 45th District since 2003 and previously served seven years in the State Assembly.

“Although it is very difficult for me to contemplate stepping away from the public service that I love so much, it’s time,” Little said in a press release. “Being able to do this work for so many years has been the greatest honor. I’ve not taken one moment of it for granted.”

Little’s career in public office began in 1986 when she was elected to the Warren County Board of Supervisors. In 1995, she was elected in a special election to represent the 109th Assembly District. When Sen. Ron Stafford announced his retirement in 2002, Little ran for and won the state Senate seat in November that year and has been reelected eight times since.