A desire to move on to the next stage of life is why Jeb Walker says hes not seeking a third term as New Canaans first selectman. Walker announced Thursday he will leave as the towns top official when his term expires at the end of the year.
Walker said he decided last summer not to run again, but he did not make it public until now because he wanted to concentrate on the work of the town, including approving the 2011-12 budget and moving forward the work of the Long Range Planning Committee as it prepares a plan for the towns future.
I am 72 years old, and its time to do something different, Walker said Thursday morning, a day after the Town Council voted to pass a $121.6 million spending plan for New Canaan in the next fiscal year. Ive enjoyed every second of this job, and I will miss it terribly.
Walker told town employees of his intentions Wednesday and said he couldnt get through it without crying. The decision part was easy, he said. Following through is hard.
Walker has served as first selectman since 2007. Before that, he was chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission and was a member of the 2006 downtown study committee, which examined parking.
Walker said his decision was not influenced by challenges of the past year, including criticisms of the long range plan study process and other endeavors. Before leaving office, Walker said he wants the town to finish negotiations with several employee bargaining units, including those representing firefighters and police officers.
The race for who will be the new first selectman will now feature fellow Selectman Robert Mallozzi III, who announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination and Board of Finance member Paul Giusti, who announced this week that he will contend for the town's top job.
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