Ward: Will not seek reelection this year

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Afterthree terms at the helm, Mayor Art Ward announced Tuesday that he plans to callit quits come November.
“Servingthree terms as the Mayor of the City of Bristol, my birthplace and hometown,has been an honor, a privilege and a most humbling experience,” the mayor said.Wardcame to office just as the recession began hammering the economy, leading himto preside during a time of shrinking resources.

Mayor Art Ward and his assistant, Mary Suchopar

But,with the cooperation of municipal unions that accepted a number of pay freezes,he managed to pull it off without resorting to layoffs or major tax propertytaxes.Evenso, Ward nearly lost his last reelection bid in 2011 to Republican challengerMary Alford and split so badly with his own Democratic Party’s leadership thathe almost certainly could not have won its nomination for the city’s top jobthis year.Ithasn’t been clear, though, whether Ward would force a primary, run as anindependent or take some other step to retain the office he’s held since 2007.Thereis only one announced candidate for mayor so far, Republican city Councilor KenCockayne. But Ward’s decision is likely to unleash others soon.

Mayor Art Ward heads into meeting.

Ward,a former state veterans counselor, said that after eight years on the ZoningBoard of Appeals, 14 years as a city councilor and a long stint as mayor “thetime has arrived for me to take a respite from city government.”“My longevityas an appointed and elected official has proved most gratifying and will alwaysremain an integral part of my life,” the mayor said.
“My hope is that I have contributed as much to the people of the City ofBristol as I have been blessed to have received as a result of this wonderfulexperience.”Ward saidthere have been considerable achievements during “the economic turmoil of thepast five years,” including the opening of two new schools, consolidation ofcity departments and more regional cooperation.GaryLawton, an independent who twice challenged Ward for the position, said thatgiven the mayor’s lack of support on the town committee “he is wise not to seeanother term.”Formore information, please see Wednesday’s Bristol Press.

 Here's the press release:
  MayorArthur J. Ward Will Not Seek a Fourth Term
Bristol, CT, January 22, 2013 –  In a prepared statement, Mayor Wardannounced that he will not be seeking a fourth term as Mayor. “Serving threeterms as the Mayor of the City of Bristol,my birthplace and hometown, has been an honor, a privilege and a most humblingexperience, said Ward.”
“Serving in local government for almost 30 years has givenme the opportunity to learn, to experience and to contribute to the future ofour great community.”
Ward served eight years on the Zoning Board of Appeals,fourteen years as an elected member of the Bristol City Council representingthe first district, and three terms as Mayor.
The Mayor stated, “Community service can often times provechallenging and formidable, but the mission always remains constant - strivingfor the betterment of the community by insuring that the public safety,security, education and health needs of the people meet the utmost expectationsof performance.
One person is hardly capable of achieving these goals alone,as evidenced by the financial impact of the economic turmoil of the past fiveyears.
Bristol has withstood the economic challenges of thisrecession through the elimination of nearly fifty positions utilizing  the process of attrition, maintaining thepractice of fiscal austerity through cooperative budgetary measures between theeducational and city components of city government, the consolidation ofmultiple departments and positions, the presence of commitment of elected andappointed officials, City department heads, staff, employees and mostimportantly, the backbone of the community – the volunteers and  the citizens of Bristol, all of whom havededicated themselves for the betterment of the city by collaborativelyproviding the foundation for the future of our community. .
Bristolhas continued on the path of progress for tomorrow – with the stabilization ofour excellent bond rating, solid city pension funds, construction andpresentation of two new K-8 schools, multiple regionalization practices, including regional and local resolutionswhich address longstandingenvironmental and flooding concerns along the Pequabuck andCoppermine waterways, combining with neighboring communities in heavy equipmentpurchases and addressing lower costs associated in the providing of mutualcommunity services, new energy and environmental efficiency provisions, longterm commitments such as the new trash-to-energy contract, the proposed newrecycling facility and new revenue enhancements such as the “pay as you throw”solid waste program.”
Ward continued: “Economically, Bristol remains strong as a result of thesolid commitment of our business community, the ongoing revitalization effortsof our downtown areas - past, present and future and the dedicated residents ofall ages possessing the enthusiastic, positive dedicated energy and involvementfor the future of Bristol.
Resolution of these many concerns required negotiation,compromise and hard work by all, ultimately reaching the height ofaccomplishment for everyone – a better Bristolfor us, our families and our future generations.
After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion thatthe time has arrived for me to take a respite from city government;accordingly, I am respectfully announcing that I will not be a candidate forreelection to the office of Mayor of the City of Bristol for a fourth term inthe upcoming November election.”
Ward concluded: “To my wife Patricia, our families, ourfriends, our supporters and campaign staffs – this dream would never havebecome a reality without you. Thank you for all of your love, guidance andsupport throughout these years
I would be remiss if I didn’t express my extreme gratitudefor the abundance of support and the dedication of my administrative assistant,Mary Suchopar for her confidence, allegiance and “go the extra mile” spiritover these past five years.
 I have relished theopportunity to serve with you and to serve for you, I will forever cherish allof the fond memories and assure you that I will continue to exercise the duediligence deserved of both the Office of the Mayor and the people of Bristol throughout therest of this term of office.
My longevity as an appointed and elected official has provedmost gratifying and will always remain an integral part of my life. My hope isthat I have contributed as much to the people of the City of Bristol as I have been blessed to havereceived as a result of this wonderful experience.
As we move forward as a community, I am confident that thepeople of Bristolwill continue the process of responsibly exercising their right to vote andelecting a most worthy candidate in the November election.
God Bless the City of Bristol,the State of Connecticutand the United States of America.”  Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com