After over two decades on city council, long-time Victoria councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe won’t be seeking re-election this fall.
In a Friday, June 24th message to residents, Coun. Thornton-Joe called it an honour to have served the community since 2002.
“I have to say that I never expected to serve on council for 20 years! However, there was always so much work to be done (and still is), and so, with the encouragement of others, I ran again and was re-elected several times,” said Thornton-Joe.
While she finds “many reasons” she would consider running again, she highlights even more reasons to call it quits.
“I am looking forward to focusing on other aspects of my life that have had to take a back seat in the last 20 years,” said Thornton-Joe, pointing to time with family and travel opportunities, among other personal ventures.
Born and raised in Victoria, Thornton-Joe worked as a manager and server in the food and beverage sector before her role on council—an industry she says “fed my love for food and wine.”
“To feed my soul, I volunteered and served on the board of the Victoria Women’s Transition House, the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria, the Victoria Chinatown Lioness, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, the Victoria Police Diversity Committee, and the Lion’s Society for Children with Disabilities,” said Thornton-Joe.
She says she’s grateful to have met so many people along the way while also making memories and hearing what was important to Victoria residents.
“Although we may not have always agreed, I have tried to make the best decisions I could for the benefit of as many people as possible and to the best of my abilities,” added Thornton-Joe.
“For now, I look forward to continuing to serve the community in other ways.”
Voters head to the polls this October
Victoria’s 2022 municipal election is scheduled for October 15th, and a city council shakeup is imminent after first-term Coun. Sharmarke Dubow announced in April his intentions to not seek re-election.
Last October, Mayor Lisa Helps also announced she wouldn’t be seeking re-election this fall, with Coun. Marianne Alto joining fellow Coun. Stephen Andrew now in the race to serve as her successor.
