Friday, March 10, 2017
For most of his life, newly-elected State Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington) has called Huntington, Indiana, his home. He was born there, got his high school education there and now raises his family there.
“I did go to Indiana University,” Zay said. “But short from that little escape, I’ve had about four addresses in Huntington County my entire life.”
While he chose to reside in the town where he grew up, it was not always his plan.
“I was out of here. Going to IU, I was going to go set the world on fire,” he said. “In the end, I think it’s exactly where I wanted to be and needed to be.”
One reason he wanted to stay in town was to be around the people of Huntington.
“It is kind of a big family,” he said. “I joke with people that my wife married me because I was the only one in Huntington County that she wasn’t related to.”
One person in particular who stands out to Zay is his Trigonometry teacher from North Huntington High School, Don Betterly, who always challenged Zay in his education.
“[I] did horrible in his class, but man, I’ve never worked so hard in my life,” Zay said. “There was just a certain thing about him treating us as young adults and putting that [educational] challenge before us.”
In a lot of ways, Betterly helped prepare Zay for some of the challenges he faces today, representing Senate District 17.
Path to public service
Zay’s public service career is in its early stages. For years, he has been an entrepreneur, owning Zay Leasing and Rentals Inc., which is a longtime family business.
After a Senate seat opened up last year, Zay decided it was his duty to make sure his hometown was properly represented, so he ran for election.
“We had many good mentors…that have served us down here in the Senate,” he said “[At] some point, you have to step up and be that person.”
First-year goals
This legislative session, Zay’s main goals are to learn the ropes and represent his community.
“[I’ll] just continue to build on that and find where my traction will be and where my best fit will be,” he said. “I didn’t come down with a real strong agenda as far as changing the world. For me, it was more about representation.”
Zay’s Favorites
