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Bill Marra, a city councillor for much of his adult life, is walking away from municipal politics.

The longest-serving member of council by far, Marra tells the Star he won’t be running in the Oct. 22 election and will simply serve out his current term after 21 years on council. He said he had been urged by some community leaders to run for mayor, something he tried unsuccessfully in 2003 when he lost to Eddie Francis.

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“I gave it some thought, really, because of who approached me,” Marra said, declining to identify the individuals. “But ultimately I concluded, and it wasn’t a difficult decision, that the right course of action for me was to not only not run for mayor, but also leave municipal politics.”

Photo by Dan Janisse / Windsor Star

Marra was a newlywed with an infant in 1994 when he was first elected, toppling veteran councillor Tom Toth in an upset that even surprised Marra, a parole officer at the time who was running with the goal of improving Neigbourhood Watch programs in his neighbourhood.