Ken Seiling, Waterloo Region's chair for the past 33 years, announced Wednesday night he is retiring from politics.

His low-key statement came during a meeting of Waterloo regional council, wedged in after a motion supporting better rail transit and before consideration of some bylaws.

Seiling, 70, said it wasn't an easy decision. He said many people had encouraged him to seek an 11th term as chair.

"I have thought long and hard about what to do, especially as I see many new challenges appearing on the horizon to which I think I could bring my experience, my contacts, my knowledge and my connections to the community."

But "I think it's time to pass on the role of regional chair to a new chair, and I will not be letting my name stand in the municipal elections this fall," he said.

"I see many challenges appearing on the horizon," he added, and felt he had the skills and experience to meet them.

Councillors gave him a standing ovation after the announcement.

Seiling's wife, Kathryn, was watching in the gallery with two of their children, Heather and Scott, and their grandson, Spencer. Other family members watched the announcement online from their homes in Newmarket and Whitehorse, he said.

The regional chair is the top elected official in the region, representing a population of about 580,000 people, overseeing a staff of about 4,200 and an annual budget of $1.5 billion.

When Seiling took on the job in 1985, the region was known for meat packing and car parts manufacturing, rather than technology.

Toyota had not yet opened its manufacturing plant in Cambridge. Research In Motion (later to become BlackBerry) was a tiny startup, just a year old.

Seiling lives in Elmira. He became a councillor for Woolwich Township in 1976 and mayor in 1978 before moving to the regional chair job.

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