Mayor Tara Veer is pictured here in an rdnewsNOW file photo from 2018.

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

on council for 5 terms

After 17 years on council, Mayor Tara Veer not seeking re-election

Aug 20, 2021 | 5:25 PM

Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer announced late Friday that she will not seek re-election this fall when voters take to the municipal polls.

Veer, who grew up in Red Deer, was first elected to city council in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007 and 2010. She then won the mayor’s seat in 2013, and was re-elected in 2017.

She has repeatedly stated this year that her focus was on governing, and that she would wait until late summer to make an announcement, one way or the other.

In an open letter to Red Deerians, Veer says she is not seeking re-election in order to pursue her “next professional endeavour.” However, she does not specify what that is.

“It has been an absolute honour to serve our community with you all as we have worked together to improve the quality of life for our citizens,” she writes.

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“Public service is rarely easy, often hard, and certainly not for the faint of heart, but our daily efforts to build our Red Deer and serve our public deeply matter and are always worth it.”

Veer says that over the coming weeks, she will share some “exceptionally proud moments” from her past eight years as mayor.

“For now, please know that my past seventeen years with you have been an incredible and treasured chapter,” says Veer. “With the greatest appreciation and respect for who you are and all you do.”

As of Aug. 20, four people have submitted their papers to run for Red Deer’s mayoral seat on Oct. 18. The full list of candidates is at elections.reddeer.ca.

More to come.