After 22 years of serving in the Pennsylvania State House and constituents in Lehigh and Northampton counties, state Rep. Julie Harhart, R-183, has decided it's time to retire.

Harhart, who officially retired Wednesday, recently told The Lehigh Valley Press her first exposure to local politics involved seeking an appointment to serve as North Catasauqua Borough tax collector.After serving nine years as a tax collector, Harhart then participated in an election campaign and later served as a legislative assistant for a state representative.Harhart ultimately decided to run for state representative in 1996 to "make a difference.""It really was why I ran," she said.Harhart said she worked hard during her first campaign for state representative, making 8,000 calls in her basement and going door to door to introduce herself.Both the primary and general elections were close, she said. According to Harhart, she won the primary by 63 votes and the general election by a mere 17 votes.Some of her most noteworthy accomplishments as a state representative she said involved pushing for funding for child advocacy centers and safe schools."That I feel most proud of," she said of the child advocacy centers. "That to me was a very important piece of legislation."Harhart said she truly enjoyed the mechanics and intricacies of working in Harrisburg."I'll miss the friendship and camaraderie with all my colleagues," she said. "I'll miss the district and representing the district."The 183rd Legislative District includes, in Lehigh County, the townships of South Whitehall (districts 5, 6 and 8), Washington and Whitehall (districts 7, 10 and 11) and the Borough of Slatington; and in Northampton County, the townships of Allen, Lehigh, Moore (Beersville and Klecknersville districts) and the boroughs of North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport.When asked why she decided to retire now, Harhart said, "It's time for me to move on. This election cycle was the time."Harhart said she hopes to do some traveling in the near future. She also is looking forward to controlling her own schedule.Will Harhart stay connected in some capacity to local and state politics in retirement?"All options are open," she said.