Prince George Mayor Shari Green will not be seeking re-election.
After two terms on city council, Green announced Thursday her name won't be on the municipal ballot this November.
"I have certainly been thinking about how I can best contribute and I'm really quite pleased with the work I've done over the years on council," said Green.
In a prepared statement, Green said she would be sharing those other ways publicly "in the coming days, when the time is appropriate."
Green said she wouldn't comment on rumours she is angling for a run at the Cariboo-Prince George federal Conservative nomination.
"Certainly I am a federal Conservative and have been a long time," she said. "I want to make sure that we have a strong and healthy Conservative riding and I'm proud to be a part of a great team of people with respect to that."
According to sitting Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris, "the status quo prevails."
"I have not made an announcement yet," he told the Citizen. "Rumours abound in this business, for sure."
First elected to city council in 2008, Green set her sights on the mayor's chair and unseated incumbent Dan Rogers in 2011.
Prior to her admission to city hall, Green was active in the community as a small-business owner, a member of the Meadow elementary school Parent Advisory Council and president of Downtown Prince George.
She campaigned on downtown revitalization in 2008 and placed second in the polls.
Green's 2011 run for mayor after one term focused on crime reduction and financial discipline.
She launched a crime reduction committee and core services review during the first two years of her tenure.
Green said serving as mayor has been her honour.
"It has been a privilege to lead the city while keeping taxes low, reducing crime and improving conditions for business," she said. "My family and I would like to thank everyone for their support, faith and encouragement over the last six years."
While her council colleagues received her statement the same time it was sent to the rest of the community, Green said it's not out of left field.
"Council and I, we've talked in the past, certainly. They won't be surprised by the news," she said.
Green shared the news that she wouldn't be seeking another term to give voters and residents an early heads up.
"Primarily it's important that the taxpayers know what's going on for November and that people who are interested in running for mayor have as much notice as possible that the race looks a little bit different," she said.
Canadian Taxpayers Federation B.C. director Jordan Bateman was thrown by what he called the "disappointing" news of Green's decision.
"Mayor Green, through the core review process, the net-zero mandate, really did push forward some important initiatives to save taxpayers money," said Bateman, who's been a vocal cheerleader of the Prince George mayor since she took office. "That's a big surprise and big loss going forward."
Green's decision to let go of the mayoralty creates a new dynamic for the fall municipal election race. So far, no one has publicly declared their intention to run for mayor.
"Going into a mayoral race in Prince George without an incumbent can mean that all bets are off for what happens in that campaign and who emerges victorious," said UNBC political science instructor Jason Morris.
Incumbents carry advantages such as name recognition and financial and organizational resources, he said.
"A mayoral race with no incumbent can mean a lot of thinking and planning behind the scenes, especially among present councillors as potential candidates," Morris said. "But there also will be looks to people in the broader community, maybe with no political experience, that may consider contesting this election."
Whoever ends up gunning for the position the challenges are the same as if Green was still in the race, said Bateman.
"How do you deliver services in a city like Prince George without costing taxpayers too much money to make life unaffordable? And it will always be a tricky balance no matter who's in office," Bateman said. "Hopefully they'll continue to put taxpayer interests first."
Balancing the big ideas with the city's basic needs will also be a tightrope act, added Morris.
"Prince George is probably at a crucial spot in its history with the Canada Winter Games coming, expected growth from the energy industry, with continuing efforts to be more cosmopolitan as well as the city's need to be respected and acknowledged province wide when it comes to provincial policies," Morris said. "So in my view, the next mayor, whoever that is going to be, has a lot of work to do."
