British Columbia: Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall has announced that he is not seeking a re-election this fall. He made this announcement at a regular council meeting.
“Today is bittersweet. There is no doubt that it was one of the most difficult decisions that I have ever had to make,” Hall said in his voice choked up with emotion before council chambers.
Apart from Hall, other multi-term B.C. mayors including New Westminster’s Jonathan Coté, Abbotsford’s Henry Braun, Kamloops’ Ken Christian and Fort St. John’s Lori Ackerman have also announced earlier that they will not be running in municipal elections on October 15.
In his over two-decade long political career, Hall was the Prince George school board before joining city council for a single term in 2011. He later got elected mayor in 2014, and won re-election in 2018.
Hall’s term has been marked by new developments including development of major hotels and housing throughout the city due to rise in the population. Some controversies have marred these efforts as well including an independent review of how he managed funds for a major condo and parkade built adjacent to city hall ballooned with little oversight.