Victoria Coun. Jeremy Loveday announced Sunday he will not seek re-election, becoming the fifth council member to opt not to run again.
The two-term councillor said he strongly considered running for a third term in the Oct. 15 municipal election “when it became clear there would be significant turnover on council,” but decided it’s time to move on to “new challenges and opportunities.”
Mayor Lisa Helps long ago said she would not seek a third term as mayor of the city, and councillors Charlayne Thornton-Joe, Sharmarke Dubow and Geoff Young — who was first elected to a council seat in 1983 — have all said they won’t run again.
Long-term Coun. Marianne Alto and newcomer Coun. Stephen Andrew are both vying for the mayor’s chair, meaning at least one of them won’t be at the council table after Oct. 15, leaving a total of at least six vacant seats.
Victoria council is made up of mayor and eight councillors.
Loveday, who is completing his master’s degree in business administration and finalizing a manuscript for his first full-length poetry book, cited accomplishments including the creation of the Capital Regional District’s Housing First Initiative, which he said is on track to build 2,000 homes.
He is currently chair of the Capital Regional housing Corporation, which is planning a program to build and acquire affordable housing. Loveday said he also helped bring forward proposals such as expanding restaurant patios and pedestrian public spaces.
Municipal council nominations open Aug. 30 and close Sept. 9.
