Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund won't be running for mayor in this fall's election.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

VERNON - Mayor Akbal Mund will not seek re-election as mayor this fall but will be on the ballot as a councillor.

"The major decision is based on family," Mund said. "It's not an eight to five job, the job continues long after."

Mund said his two daughters are soon to be 12 and 14 years old and he didn't want to miss the next four years of them growing up.

But Mund said he still wanted to carry on in politics and would run as a councillor.

"I want to continue what's best for our community and I want to be part of that, the next drive for the next four years," he said. Mund made the announcement this afternoon, Sept. 7, after calling a press conference.

Mund wouldn't pinpoint one single achievement as his greatest while on council, but said it was a multitude of achievements by the entire council and how they've managed to work with other jurisdictions.

The mayor pointed to hot-button issues such as homelessness and housing affordability and how council had worked hard at mitigating these issues through working with the other players and the provincial and federal governments.

"Municipal governments get blamed for everything, we don't collect taxes for social services yet we're expected to provide all the services," he said.

Mund said council's decisions over his term were made by gathering information and not "knee-jerk reactions."

The mayor wouldn't endorse another mayoral candidate but did reiterate anyone thinking of becoming mayor has to consider the huge amount of work.

"If you have another job that you're doing, you better be thinking about that job after 8 p.m. at night," Mund said.

He did, however, throw his support behind Teresa Durning saying she would make an excellent councillor.

When asked what advice he had for the future mayor, Mund said: "don't take [crititism] personally" and "answer your own emails."

So far four candidates have declared they will run for mayor: Darrin Taylor, Victor Cumming, Eric Olesen and Art Gourley. Candidates have until Sept. 14 to register.

Mund was elected four years ago to the mayor's seat, his first time ever elected. He presided over an at-times turbulent council term as the city dealt with a raft of homeless and drug issues and councillors often divided on how to handle the problem. Mund also had a tough personal term as mayor. iNFOnews.ca confronted Mund about getting an immediate roadside prohibition for alcohol consumption while driving and he admitted it in an interview. 

Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund won't be running for mayor in this fall's election.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

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