Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall is the latest mayor from British Columbia to announce he will not run again this fall.
Hall made the announcement at the end of a regular council meeting Monday night.
“Today is bittersweet – there’s no doubt that this was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Hall said in the council chamber, his voice choked with emotion.
Hall joins several other multi-term British Columbia mayors who have announced they will not run in the October 15 municipal elections, including mayor of New Westminster. Jonathan CoteHenry Braun of Abbotsford, Ken Christian of Kamloops and Lori Ackerman of Fort St. John.
Hall spent two decades in local politics, starting on the Prince George School Board before joining City Council for a single term in 2011. He was elected mayor in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018.
Expense controversies
Hall began his first term as mayor just months before the city hosted the 2015 Canada Winter Gamesthe biggest sporting event ever held in the city at the time.
He also oversaw the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons, when thousands of residents displaced by evacuation orders in nearby communities had to take shelter in Prince George for weeks.
The latter became an issue in Hall’s 2018 re-election race, after it was revealed that the city’s nine-person management team was being paid up to $235.72 an hour for working overtime to manage evacuee management logistics.
But Hall easily wins the race after the lone challenger for the job, WIlly Ens, largely failed to campaign, including skipping several debates.
Hall’s second term was marked by new developments throughout the city as the population reached recordsincluding major hotel and residential developments aimed at attracting new residents to the city centre.
But controversies have also marred these efforts, as the cost of a large condo and parking built next to the bloated City Hall with little oversight, prompting an independent review how the city manages its finances.
More recently, Hall joined mayors from other major B.C. municipalities in demanding action on housing, mental health and addictions treatment as the city struggled to deal with a city of growing tents just outside of downtown.
Last November, the City of Prince George demolished several camps despite a court order protecting them.
In March, the city apologized for his actions, following criticism from the BC Assembly of First Nations that the city’s policy on homelessness is “counterproductive, cruel and inherently racist.”
COVID-19 Challenges
Hall said leadership has become more difficult in the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic — and the city still faces more hurdles in the years to come.
“It was important to me to see Prince George become a dynamic and active city [and] a desirable place to live, making sure to offer amenities to everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, to become an attractive place for development and investment. I believe that is exactly what we have done.
“Are there still challenges to face and overcome? There is no doubt,” he said. “This work will continue – and that is the most difficult part.”
So far, no one else has announced their intention to run for mayor of Prince George in the upcoming municipal election.
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