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Ben Isitt considers run for mayor's chair in Victoria

Coun. Ben Isitt has raised the possibility that after three terms as a councillor he may be ready to run for mayor again.
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Coun. Ben Isitt made unsuccessful mayoral bids in 2002 and 2005. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST

There is a chance a third familiar face may join the race for the soon-to-be vacant mayor’s chair in Victoria.

Coun. Ben Isitt has raised the possibility that after three terms sitting as a councillor he may be ready to take on council colleagues Marianne Alto and Stephen Andrew in a run for the mayor’s job.

Asked this week if he had made a decision about his political future, Isitt said he was keeping his options open.

“I continue to actively evaluate all options, including standing as a candidate for mayor, seeking re-election as a councillor, or moving on to other forms of public service, including within the legal profession,” said Isitt. He said he’ll make a final decision by early September.

The nomination deadline for the Oct. 15 municipal elections is Sept. 9.

Isitt has already made unsuccessful bids for the mayor’s chair, running in 2005 against Alan Lowe, who won with 51.9 per cent of the vote, while Isitt won 43.6 per cent.

Isitt also finished behind Lowe in 2002, when he attracted 32 per cent of the vote to Lowe’s 61 per cent.

If Isitt does run for mayor, that could leave only one incumbent, Sarah Potts, running as a councillor in the fall election. Potts has yet to confirm whether she intends to run again.

This week, two-term councillor Jeremy Loveday announced he would not seek re-election this fall, joining council colleagues Charlayne Thornton-Joe, Geoff Young, Sharmarke Dubow and Mayor Lisa Helps in stepping away from the council table.

Victoria has eight city councillors and a mayor.

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