London Mayor Ed Holder on the MLHU COVID briefing, on February 14th, 2022.London Mayor Ed Holder on the MLHU COVID briefing, on February 14th, 2022.
London

Holder won't seek re-election

For the fifth election in a row, Londoners will be voting in a new mayor.

Ed Holder announced on Tuesday he will not be seeking re-election this October, and is retiring from electoral politics.

The former federal cabinet minister was voted into the job in 2018, beating out Paul Paolatto, Tanya Park and Paul Cheng in London's first, and potentially only, ranked ballot election.

“The opportunity to serve as Mayor has truly been the honour of a life-time. I’ve often said that mine is the best job anyone could ever hope to have, serving the greatest city in the world,” said Holder in a news release that was issued on Tuesday afternoon. “As I prepare to enjoy life beyond politics, I take great pride in this Council’s accomplishments. Together, we have made historic investments in support of our most vulnerable, along with transformative changes to London’s transit system. Our economy is the strongest anywhere in Ontario, and we’re among the fastest growing cities in Canada.”

During his time in office, Holder has dealt with the significant global challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also helping the community through local tragedies like the murder of the Afzaal family in June of 2021 and the death of young Girl Guide Alexandra Stemp in November.

“Above all, I remain most proud of Londoners. Repeatedly, we have come together as a community like never before during moments of great joy, and times of unimaginable sadness," he said in the release.

Holder is leaving office to spend more time with family and live life at a "more relaxed pace," he said. His final day on the job will be November 14th.

Before serving as Mayor, Holder was the Member of Parlaiment for London West from 2008 through 2015, when he lost a re-election bid to Kate Young.

He served as the Minister of State for Science and Technology under Stephen Harper from March of 2014 through the end of his time as an MP.

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