After 22 years in office, the longest-serving member of the St. Paul City Council stunned colleagues on Wednesday by announcing his retirement.

“It’s my deepest honor to have earned your respect and trust,” said Dan Bostrom, addressing the seven-member council.

Bostrom, 78, waited until the end of the council meeting, when council members typically share lighthearted news about neighborhood events, to announce he would resign from office effective Dec. 31.

The Ward 6 council member said his last council meeting will be Dec. 19. Council President Amy Brendmoen said the council will convene an appointment process early next year to decide who will complete his unexpired four-year term, which runs through the end of 2019.

In recent months, at least three challengers have emerged for his seat, which represents the East Side neighborhoods of Frost Lake, Hayden Heights, Hazel Park, Payne-Phalen, Phalen Village and Prosperity.

As one of the more conservative council members, the former St. Paul police sergeant was a frequent voice — and sometimes the sole voice — of dissent on issues such as banning menthol tobacco sales at convenience stores or organizing residential trash collection. Related Articles St. Paul City Council approves $600,000 charge for downtown improvement district

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In the 1990s, he championed the creation of Phalen Boulevard, a commercial corridor that connects Maryland Avenue to Interstate 35E and Phalen Village.

“I’m at the stage of my life I don’t have anything to prove,” said Bostrom, in a brief interview after the meeting. “We got a lot of stuff accomplished over the years.”

Bostrom said he survived a heart attack two years ago and lost his son Brent in August to a two-year battle with prostate cancer. He also lost his first wife several years ago.

“When that happens to your kids, it does something to you,” said Bostrom, whose son Matt served as Ramsey County sheriff from 2011-17.

Dan Bostrom served on the St. Paul school board from 1980 to 1990. He retired from the police department in 1990, and worked for the state’s drug policy office for five years. He was first elected to the St. Paul City Council in 1995, at a time when council members served two-year terms.