Toronto Coun. Joe Cressy says he will not seek another term in next year’s municipal elections.
Cressy, who represents Spadina-Fort York and is the chairman of the Toronto Board of Health, made the announcement Sunday.
“I confirmed today that in the upcoming municipal elections, which is about a year from now, I will not run for re-election as a councilor,” he told Global News in an interview.
“In fact, I will not run for any election, for mayor, provincial or federal, I will leave the office of election.”
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Cressy said there are two main reasons for her decision.
First, he said that he has long held the view that people entering politics must “contribute, do good, and then move on.”
Second, he said the COVID-19 pandemic has had an “emotional toll” on him.
“I want to spend more time with my two-year-old son, time that I frankly missed a lot in the last two years of continuous work through this pandemic,” he said.
“There was a time in my life when I seriously considered whether I would run for mayor, but when [my wife and I] decided to start a family, that’s when everything changed. And certainly the experience and routine of the last two years of this pandemic have confirmed that decision for me. “
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Cressy said he is proud of the work he has done on supervised consumer sites, building bike lakes on Bloor Street and “making our streetcar go faster” on King Street.
“I like to think that some of the progressive changes that I have been a part of on defense will certainly not only stand the test of time, but lead to a better city in the future,” he said.
Cressy said that as chair of the board of health, he is very proud of the city’s response to COVID-19.
“We, throughout this COVID pandemic, have operated on the Toronto team. And it has been a model of association. Mayor Tory and I have ruled in a war-like cabinet where we rule together as a coalition, ”he said.
Hopefully that style and that legacy will continue as we seek not only to overcome this pandemic, but also to rebuild better. And that’s what I hope my legacy is a part of. “
Cressy said he is still not sure what he will do once he leaves office.
Toronto’s municipal elections are scheduled for October 24, 2022.
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Reference-globalnews.ca