Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, is shown here during the last legislative session accepting a gift of Girl Scout cookies that were handed out to all the lawmakers. lThe moderate Republican is resigning to become a lobbyist for the Utah Education Association. (FILE PHOTO / The Salt Lake Tribune)

Kory Holdaway, a moderate Republican legislator for more than a decade, is resigning his seat in the Legislature to become government relations director of the Utah Education Association.

Holdaway said he was drained by the time demands of being a lawmaker and thought it was time for a change.

"I was getting to the end of my willingness to continue to run for the Legislature. In fact, last time I nearly didn't run," he said in an interview. "I thought maybe this will be a way for me to focus on just education, because that's kind of my passion, and not have to worry about a campaign and the other issues."

Holdaway, a special education teacher at Taylorsville High School, has represented Taylorsville and West Valley City since 1999. He has been a leading proponent for public and higher education, including serving most recently as co-chairman of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee.

He becomes the representative on Capitol Hill for the powerful teachers union that has frequently been at odds with the Legislature, including a bitter fight in 2007 over whether the state should issue vouchers to help students attend private schools. Holdaway opposed the voucher push.

Beginning in November, Holdaway will replace Vik Arnold, who retired from the union and now is a leading backer of an effort to impose new ethics rules on legislators through a citizens initiative.

Lawmakers earlier this year passed a so-called

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"revolving door" provision, which requires lawmakers to be out of the body for a year before becoming lobbyists. But it only applies to those whose primary job is lobbying.

While UEA's representative on the Hill, Arnold registered as a lobbyist, but it was not his primary duty.

Under the ethics initiative, however, a two-year "cooling off" period would extend to any lobbyist, meaning Holdaway could not lobby for the group.

Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack said he respects Holdaway, but it is hypocritical of UEA to publicly call for ethics reforms -- the board unanimously endorsed the ethics initiative earlier this month -- it doesn't abide by itself.

"UEA's universal support of this grassroots initiative is clearly tainted with hypocrisy by engaging in an action they condemn," he said. "That is nothing against Kory. It's just that consistency of message can't be interrupted by convenience."

Holdaway said he anticipates that protecting education funds as lawmakers balance the state budget -- facing a shortfall of up to $850 million this year -- will be his top challenge.

Holdaway said there are several potential replacements for his seat, but he suspects West Valley City Councilman Joel Coleman, former Salt Lake County Republican Vice Chairman Milton Witt, and Johnny Anderson, executive director of the Utah Private Child Care Association, will be in the mix.