Long-time Victoria councillor not running for re-election after 20 years

(Charlayne Thornton-Joe/Facebook)

A 20-year veteran of Victoria city council has announced she will not be running for a position again in the upcoming municipal election this fall.

Victoria Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe announced she will not be running for re-election after first joining council in 2002.

"It has been my honour to serve the Victoria community throughout my time on council, but I do not intend to run again this October," she said in a statement Friday.

"While there are many reasons why I would consider running again, I feel that there are even more reasons not to do so," she said.

After working for two decades in local politics, Thornton-Joe says she's excited to return to other areas of her life that needed to take a "backseat" during her tenure, including spending time with her family, travelling, reading and gardening.

"I am grateful to have met so many amazing people during the past 20 plus years and to have had the opportunity to hear what was important to the citizens of Victoria," she said.

"Although we may not have always agreed, I have tried to make the best decisions I could for the benefit of as many people as possible and to the best of my abilities," said Thornton-Joe.

COUNCIL SHAKEUP

Big changes could be coming to Victoria's local government in October.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps has already announced she's not seeking re-election after two terms in office, and Coun. Sharmarke Dubow has said he's also leaving after serving for one term.

Two current city councillors, Marianne Alto and Stephen Andrew, have also announced their bids for mayor, leaving their council positions open.

Long-time councillor Geoff Young has indicated he's also considering leaving the table, though he's made no official decision yet.

The Victoria municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 15.