Judy Higginbotham has pulled out of Surrey's civic election.
In a statement issued Friday, she blamed a lack of sufficient time to commit to the obligations of being an elected official.
Instead of taking a run for the mayor's seat, the former city councillor says she has chosen to spend more time with her husband and travel to visit family.
She said she remains passionate about issues affecting the city, such as crime, heritage preservation and social reform, and believes there is a lack of mental health facilities.
There's a need for more innovative crime prevention tools in Surrey, along with more fair access to better transportation, with a made-in-Surrey plan, she said.
"Surrey is an exciting and growing community that deserves a council that puts service above self," she said, adding she plans to continue being involved in the community.
She was first elected to Surrey city council in 1983, she served 25 years under mayors Bob Bose, Doug McCallum as part of SET, and Dianne Watts.
The veteran city councillor had been planning to take another run. She ran in the 2011 civic election but lost.
Nominations close today (Oct. 10) at 4 p.m., when there will be an official candidate declaration.
So far, there are six candidates for mayor: Vikram Bajwa, John Edwards, Linda Hepner (Surrey First), Doug McCallum (Safe Surrey Coalition), Barinder Rasode (One Surrey) and John Wolanksi, and 31 candidates for council.
Advance voting day is Nov. 1 at the Cloverdale Recreation Centre. The municipal election in Surrey takes place Nov. 15. For more, visit Surrey.ca/election2014.