After 23 years of public service on city council, councillor Murry Krause announced on Thursday that he won’t be running for re-election on Oct. 15.
Krause was first elected from 1996 to 1999, and then again from 2002 to the present. Krause said the decision was difficult, but he has confidence in the new generation of younger people stepping up to serve the community.
“It wasn’t an easy decision. I’ve been agonizing it over for the last year,” Krause said. “There is fresh faces coming up, and hopefully they serve the community well – that’s what it deserves.”
Krause turned 72 this year, which would have made him 76 by the time he finished the next term, he said.
“We don’t get any younger,” he said. “I have lots of energy left, so its time.”
Although Krause will be stepping away from city council at the end of September, he won’t be stepping away from the community.
“I’m really interested in engaging in social justice work in the community,” Krause said. “There are lots of exciting art projects coming up I’d like to part of. I haven’t made a lot of big plans yet, I’m just going to jump off the pier and see what I find.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, Krause thanked his friends, family and his partner, Brian, for “being by my side every step of the way for this entire time.”
Krause also thanked his many council colleagues, city staff, Prince George firefighters and RCMP for their service to the city. City council couldn’t accomplish anything, without their hard work to turn policy into reality, Krause wrote.
“It has been an incredible honour to serve the citizens of Prince George, and I want to thank those that have supported me over the years,” Krause wrote. “My goal has always been to serve the community well, and to make the community a better place for everyone who calls Prince George home.”
