CITY of Vincent mayor John Carey announced this morning he is stepping down from the role.
Mr Carey, who is the Labor candidate for the seat of Perth in next year’s State Election, made the announcement on his Facebook page.
“I will be stepping down as Mayor of Vincent on January 30 2017,” he wrote.
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READ NOW“This will allow for the election of a new mayor to be held at the same time as the scheduled by-election to replace retired councillor Laine McDonald on February 24.”
He wrote it was “a great privilege and honour to have been the Mayor of Vincent since 2013”.
Mr Carey told Guardian Express he made the decision last week.
“It made sense (to step down in January) and is in the interest of the ratepayers rather than have three bi-elections and uncertainty about the future of the council with an acting mayor,” he said.
“It is a risk, but people will have a clear choice.”
Mr Carey in his Facebook post wrote that he put his heart and soul into the role as “a 24-hour mayor”.
“I want to sincerely thank the Vincent community for putting their faith in me to lead the council – and their ongoing support in overseeing the real reform and lasting change at Vincent,” he wrote.
“I am looking forward to running a robust campaign based on what kind of future we want for our State – we need a fresh approach to growing local jobs and the economy, how we resource our schools and manage our health system.”