WATERLOO REGION — Two people have so far declared their intention to run in the race to replace longtime regional Chair Ken Seiling: former Waterloo councillor Jan d'Ailly and businessperson Jay Aissa, who ran against Seiling in 2014.

MPP Michael Harris and regional councillor and former MP Karen Redman haven't ruled out a run at the top political job in the region while other high-profile municipal politicians have said they won't be running.

Seiling, who has served as regional chair since 1985, announced Wednesday he will not be running again. The position pays about $180,000 in salary and benefits.

D'Ailly served two terms on Waterloo city council but lost his seat in 2010 when he came in second to Brenda Halloran in the mayoral race. D'Ailly won 26.5 per cent of the votes, compared to Halloran's 45.7 per cent. D'Ailly, who works helping local startups with business development, said his focus as chair would be "to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability and arts and culture for a healthy and vibrant community."

Aissa, a fierce opponent of light rail transit, came second in the 2014 election behind Seiling, taking 23.7 per cent of votes, to Seiling's 59 per cent. Aissa spent $251,000 for his campaign, more than four times what Seiling spent.

He said his priorities will be keeping LRT costs down, as well as costs for things like the regional airport. "I think everybody works hard to pay their taxes," he said. "It has to be spent wisely."

Redman has been a regional councillor since 2014 and was a Liberal MP for Kitchener Centre from 1997-2008. She is also the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region.

She wouldn't rule out a run at the job, saying she would announce her plans within a week. "I really think right now it's Ken's time in the sun," she said. "I'm not going to say anything at this point in time, out of respect for Ken and his long career."

She did say she believes the region needs someone who ensures the region grows while retaining "that hometown feel," and said economic development and improved transit connections, both within the region and beyond, are priorities.

Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Harris, turfed by the Ontario PC Party last month over a sexting allegation, was recovering Wednesday from eye surgery he underwent two days earlier. He wouldn't rule out a run at regional chair, but said his focus right now is on recovery, and on finishing out his term as MPP.

The mayors of the three cities in the region have all ruled out a bid for the chair's job.

Two other high-profile regional councillors have also said they will not run for the top job.

Sean Strickland, chair of the region's finance committee, also served as chair of the social services committee for more than a decade. "At this point in my career, I'm not going to run for regional chair," he said. "I have a job in the private sector (as director of business development for Pomerleau, a construction company.) I enjoy my role as a regional councillor, and I'm going to run again for regional councillor." Strickland did not rule out a future run at the top job, though.

Tom Galloway, who chairs the police board, is the face of the LRT on regional council and was a longtime chair of the region's finance committee, also ruled out a run for regional chair.

It's likely many more candidates will come forward in the coming weeks. "Ken was a formidable opponent so not as many people would come out if he were still running," Galloway noted.

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The new regional chair must be able to balance the needs of the region's cities and rural areas, as Seiling did, said both Galloway and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. He or she should also be equally concerned with "hard" regional services such as planning, roads, garbage and transit, and "soft" services such as welfare, public health, daycare and affordable housing, Galloway said.