Baltimore County Councilman Wade Kach, who has been in public office for nearly 50 years, said Tuesday he will retire at the end of his current term.

“In January of 2025, I will have been in public office for 50 years, so at the end of this term will be 52 years,” Kach said.

Kach’s current term ends in December of 2026. He said he won’t run again, citing his health.

Kach, who is 77, served in the Maryland House of Delegates for 40 years. Then in 2014 he won election to the County Council and has been reelected twice.

“It’s been a real honor serving the people of Baltimore County in the state legislature and on the county council, but I think it’s time for new people,” Kach said.

Kach represents the third district, which is mostly rural and runs to the Pennsylvania line. The County Council is controlled by Democrats by a 4-3 margin but Kach, a Republican, has at times been successful getting concessions from Democrats on controversial issues in order to get his vote.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, a Democrat, worked with Kach when both were in the General Assembly.

“I literally sat next to him on the floor of the House of Delegates for my eight years there,” Olszewski said.

Once Olszewski became county executive in 2018, he said Kach has looked for ways to work with him and other Democrats while not compromising his conservative principles.

“I think it’s been a really important part of fostering that environment here where we work together to find compromise and forge a path forward,” Olszewski said.