New Westminster’s longest-serving politician isn’t quite ready to decide whether he’ll seek re-election.
Chuck Puchmayr, who is currently serving his seventh term as a city councillor, said he’s not ready to make a decision at this time about whether or not he’ll seek re-election because of a need to focus on his health and wellness over the next few weeks.
“I want to thank the citizens of New Westminster, who have supported me over the last 26 years of elected office,” he said in a statement to the Record. “I have worked tirelessly for them, and proudly done so in a non-partisan manner. I have always looked at political office as a public service and will never stop being an advocate for those struggling in our community.”
Puchmayr, a longtime NDP supporter, was part of the Team Cote slate in the 2018 civic election. He issued a statement on the evening that the left-leaning Community First party was holding its nomination meeting to select the candidates it would support in the Oct. 15 civic election.
“Given the current nomination timelines and an important personal health follow-up approaching for me in mid-June, I will need to divert my energies and focus there at this time,” he said. “I have an incredible passion for this city, and an even more incredible support base. I want to thank those who have stood by me through some of my most difficult personal challenges over the years. I will never forget the friends and family who have always been by my side. They have been my strength and they have always fueled my desire to serve.”
Puchmayr was elected to city council in 1996 and served as a councillor until 2005. He went on to serve as New Westminster’s MLA from 2005 to 2009.
In January 2009, Puchmayr was diagnosed with liver cancer and due to the severity of his illness was moved to the top of the liver transplant list. On Jan. 24, 2009, he underwent a life-saving liver transplant; he soon left provincial politics to focus on his health.
But Puchmayr wasn’t done with politics, running and winning a seat on city council in the 2011 civic election. Puchmayr, New Westminster’s 2008 Citizen of the Year, was re-elected in 2014 and 2018.
Follow Theresa McManus on Twitter @TheresaMcManus
Email [email protected]
