I’m 87 years old and have voted in every state election since Harry Truman was president. At my age, I know when it’s time to pass the torch.

I treasure the experience that comes with age — I live it every day — but I also live the limitations. Energy fades, hearing fades and sometimes memory fades. Today’s challenges — housing young families can afford, schools that prepare children for tomorrow’s jobs, wildfires and floods that spare no one — demand new ideas, new energy and leaders who will still be here in 20 or 30 years to answer for the decisions made today.

That is why I respectfully ask state Sen. Jeff Golden, who would turn 80 by the end of a third Senate term, to retire after this term and let a younger generation take the helm. We all know what happened when President Joe Biden didn’t know when to quit. The senator would be just two years younger than Biden was a year ago should he win and take the oath.

When most state senators are past retirement age, and several are in their late 70s or 80s, we risk creating a senate of caretakers rather than innovators.

Golden has enjoyed a distinguished career and the genuine affection of many, including me. The most dignified capstone would be to retire now, while he remains at the height of his influence and respect, rather than risk an exhausting campaign that could end in disappointment and tarnish an otherwise remarkable legacy.

If our long-serving legislators will not step aside voluntarily — and experience shows they rarely do — then we need term limits, or at least an honest community conversation about how we want to be represented.

At 87, I have earned the right to speak plainly: Gratitude does not obligate us to keep electing the same people forever. Thank you, Sen. Golden, for your decades of service. Now, please make room for the next generation.

Delores Nims

Ashland