Speaker and local MLA Ken Kowalski is calling it a career, announcing Friday he will not run in the next election.
In a statement sent to the media, Kowalski said he is ready to step out of the spotlight of public life.
“I have had little time for my family and myself. It’s time for me to have an opportunity to have privacy, to focus on the importance of family, and to do many of the things that I have always wanted to do.”
Kowalski was first elected in 1979 and has run successfully in nine campaigns since. He is the longest serving MLA in the legislature and the only one to serve under all four Progressive Conservative premiers.
During his time in office he held several ministerial portfolios, as well as acting as speaker for more than a decade.
There was speculation about his pending departure from politics last summer, but Kowalski put those rumours to a rest in August when he declared he would again seek the nomination.
Kowalski won his nomination this fall after no one stepped forward to challenge him. He said in his resignation letter that the party would now have to hold a new nomination race.
