State Rep. Jeff Pyle retires for health reasons, says hardest part is 'I didn't think I was done yet'

Nine-term state Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City, retired Tuesday because of health issues.

Pyle, 56, is in his second round of battling cancer. He first was diagnosed with kidney cancer less than two months into his first term as a state representative in early 2005. Pyle beat the disease then, but the cancer returned close to his diaphragm about three years ago, and then he suffered a stroke last year.

Pyle is optimistic about his health outlook but said the physical rigors of being a lawmaker were getting to be too much given his medical appointments and rehab.

“I’m used to being a 6-3, 220-pound Godzilla, and I’m not Godzilla anymore,” Pyle said. “I’m going to take some time off and get my health put back together.”

He said his cancer is contained, but the stroke has caused walking difficulties. He said he expects to recover, but it’s going to take time and more rehab.

Beyond health concerns, Pyle said he stepped down on such short notice so the process can begin for a new candidate to fill his seat.

Under the Election Code, the speaker of the House must file a written request with the secretary of the commonwealth for a special election to fill the vacancy, Department of State spokeswoman Wanda Murren said. Pyle said he anticipates a special election could be held as soon as the May 18 primary.

While in office, Pyle said he worked to revive the economies of hard-hit communities in his legislative district, which includes parts of Armstrong, Indiana and Butler counties. Recently, he secured millions of dollars in state funding to expand the Butler County Community College in Ford City.

Pyle said he authored seven bills that became law, including ones to clarify provisions for emergency medical personnel in underground mines, regulate unmanned aircraft for safety and privacy and provide veterans with a veterans designation on their Pennsylvania driver’s license. Pyle chaired the House Gaming Oversight Committee and for a decade led the Second Amendment Caucus and Coal Caucus. He said he is the only Pennsylvania legislator to receive an A+ rating from National Rifle Association for 16 consecutive years.

Pyle said he wasn’t ready to quit.

“The hardest part about it is that I didn’t think I was done yet,” he said.

In one of his last official duties, Pyle chaired a House Liquor Control Committee meeting and voted to allow restaurants to save 15% on their business licenses, rather than 10%, in a move he said will help ease the financial devastation of the pandemic.

Locally, Pyle said he was excited to help secure funding for the expansion of Butler County Community College in Ford City.

“BC3 is huge,” he said. “I don’t mind using that kind of taxpayer money. It’s a good investment.”

Pyle said he helped secure money for Armstrong County Memorial Hospital.

“I tried to help them all,” he said of bringing grant money to nonprofits and local government.

He said he called local fire companies to alert them of the next round of grant applications. “Any time they called, I was writing papers and submitting grants, and a lot were successful,” Pyle said. “I’ll take that as a win.”

Early in his career, Pyle vowed to help hardworking Pennsylvanians because he related to them.

“I spent too many hot summers working through college digging waterline ditches and at Allegheny Ludlum Steel moving coils to forget where I come from,” Pyle once told a Valley News Dispatch reporter. “I met a lot of nice people, and a lot of them are Allegheny mill hunks, these are guys I grew up with.”

Pyle said he tried to be persistent.

“You’ve got to lock on and stay with it,” he said.

Bringing BC3 to Ford City and fostering a public-private partnership to keep the Allegheny River locks open to recreational boats on summer weekends were multiyear efforts, he said.

Pyle said he will shift his focus.

“I got two daughters,” Pyle said. “My master plan is I’m going to dance with them.”