Green Bay Press-Gazette Editorial Board

U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble is keeping his campaign promise.

The Republican from Sherwood announced on Jan. 30 that he is not seeking re-election for the 8th Congressional District seat.

Keeping campaign promises is rare for some politicians and keeping one that means you’re out of a job is even rarer among all the career politicians.

When Ribble ran for Congress in 2010 he said he’d serve only four terms at the most.

When Ribble’s third term ends, Congress will lose one of the few representatives who isn’t afraid to work on a bill with whomever else supports it, whether that person is a Democrat, Republican or independent.

It has been a refreshing change from the lawmakers who oppose proposals from those on the other side of the aisle simply because the other party proposed it, not because they disagreed with the merits of the measure.

It has been refreshing, but not surprising: Before the 2010 election, Ribble told the Green Bay Press-Gazette, “I’m a conservative more than I am a Republican.”

Professing that is one thing; following through is another.

Ribble followed through.

He joined the No Labels group, a bipartisan movement with a goal of putting aside party propaganda and focusing on solving problems that all Americans faced, both Democrat and Republican.

Last year, Ribble reintroduced the John Tanner Fairness in Redistricting Act and the Redistricting Transparency Act of 2015. The goal was one the Press-Gazette Editorial Board has been behind for a number of years: Restore transparency to the process of drawing up political boundaries every 10 years and end gerrymandering, which is the act of rigging a district so that it favors one party over any others.

There have been few Republicans on board with these acts, probably because the GOP is in power, in Congress and in the Wisconsin Legislature. (To be fair, it’s an issue the Democrats in Wisconsin could have addressed when they held the Legislature, but they didn’t.)

Ribble has been an ardent supporter of Marinette Marine, he has sought solutions to phosphorus pollution in the bay of Green Bay, he backed efforts for a mandated timber harvest in our national forests, and he fought against unfair trade practices that put the U.S. paper industry at a disadvantage on the world market.

There are no candidates you will agree with 100 percent of the time, but Ribble has earned the benefit of the doubt because he acts on principle, not on fear.

For example, in October he quit the House Freedom Caucus because of its role in House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation.

In December, Ribble said he wouldn’t endorse Donald Trump if he became the Republican presidential nominee.

Many of his peers might be thinking the same thing, but they’re not saying anything; instead, they’re willing to kowtow to party politics rather than make a responsible, reasoned decision on their own.

More so than other lawmakers, Ribble went a long way to bridge the gap between parties and find common ground. “Reid has always operated by the theory that we should find out what we have in common and get those things done,” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison said after’s Ribble’s announcement.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette Editorial Board endorsed Ribble when he ran in November 2010 and when he was up for re-election in 2012. (We did not endorse any candidates in 2014.) We said we liked his ability to stand for what he believed in even if it went against the grain of consensus.

We will always support those who vote based on sound principle, strong ethics and what is best for their constituents and taxpayers, not those who vote based on what is best for their political party.

Ribble did that much better than most of his peers.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette is part of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.