Veteran city councillor Bill Marra is calling it quits.
The long-time councillor at Windsor City Hall will not be seeking a seventh term of council in the upcoming municipal election in the fall.
The one-time mayoral candidate is also saying 'no' to a bid for the mayor's chair.
Near the top of Marra's reasons for announcing his intention not to run is so uncertainty over his political future doesn't become a distraction.
"I really wanted to avoid the negative dynamics of speculation and a lot of folks talking about who might run for what and I thought that it was important for me to announce early my intentions to clear the slate," says Marra.
Councillor Marra speaking with reporters after announcing he’s done with municipal politics; entered at 29 years old and will be leaving at 53 #cklw pic.twitter.com/cGI7vxKkug
— Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) April 23, 2018
It seems Marra simply feels now is the right time to step back from politics.
"Six terms is a very long time. I didn't think I'd be back after I lost the mayor's race," says Marra. "You know, six terms just seems to be enough. I feel like I've contributed significantly."
Marra stresses he's not running municipally and hasn't declared an intention to run for any other public office, but won't rule out a future return to politics.
"I learned a long time ago from personal experience you never say never; however, with that said, I'm very, very committed to my job at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare," says Marra. "We have some significant projects around the corner. We are very much part of the new hospital system discussion that's happening."
Marra entered municipal politics at 29 years old and will be 53 by the time he ends his current term.