‘Easy decision for me:’ longtime city councillor Chambers not seeking re-election

Coun. Markus Chambers has announced will not run for a third term on city council, instead stepping away to spend more time with his family.

On Tuesday, Chambers told reporters he won’t seek re-election in the St. Norbert-Seine River ward.

“This has actually been an easy decision for me. My family is growing. My son has announced that my wife and I will be grandparents in December. And other priorities … have emerged that require my undivided attention,” he said.

The councillor said health concerns played a key role in his decision, as his wife has battled cancer for two years.

“My wife’s journey has been a remarkable (one) in terms of how she’s faced it … I’m grateful for every opportunity I get to spend with her,” said Chambers, at times pausing as tears welled up in his eyes.

His wife of 34 years, Judith Chambers, joined him at the announcement, confirming she made it clear she would support him if he had decided to run again.

“He really, truly loved the role. He really embraced the community, and so I wanted him to run. But in the end, I’ve had a few challenges lately, and his decision was to step back,” she said.

Markus Chambers was first elected in 2018. He served as chairman of the Winnipeg Police Board for five years before stepping down from that role in October.

Chambers did not rule out seeking another political position in the future.

He is the fourth city councillor to announce they will not seek re-election in recent weeks. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) and Janice Lukes (Waverley West) have said they will not run again.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said Chambers did a great job serving as deputy mayor and on the police board.

“I’m certainly going to miss Markus Chambers on council. He has been a great partner to work with. He has served as deputy mayor for me… and has done such a great job of that as well,” said Gillingham.

The mayor called Chambers a “trailblazer,” stating he was the first Black person elected to city council.

Gillingham said the recent decisions of four city councillors not to seek re-election may reflect the number of years councillors tend to stay in those roles.

“If you take a look at Winnipeg’s history, it kind of cycles every 10 or 12 years, (when) there seems to be a turnover of a number of council seats and this seems to be one of those years. All of these councillors, the four who have decided not to run again, made a significant contribution to Winnipeg city council,” he said.

Gillingham said the municipal government is losing “institutional memory” and experience as a result. However, he said having at least four open races could attract candidates with fresh ideas.

Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Manitoba, said the councillors do appear to be walking away from their political roles for individual reasons.

“I think this is a big change for city politics. I don’t think it’s a full retirement for many of these individuals. I think they might be taking a rest and then seeing where the future lies for their political careers elsewhere,” said Adams.

The departure of veteran councillors will be noticed, he said.

“Not only are they long-serving but some of them have held critically important positions … They’ve got in-house knowledge and experience and that will be lost,” said Adams.

The professor said Chambers filled a key role on the police board, while Lukes is an influential councillor who’s involved in many key development projects.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Head Start

Weekday Mornings

A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.

Sign up for Head Start

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

Adams said some daunting, persistent problems faced by the city over the past few years may also be a factor behind the departures.

“The problem of homelessness seems to be unsolvable and the drug problems on the street seem to be unsolvable … There are some problems that city councillors might feel powerless to resolve,” he said.

Election day is scheduled for Oct. 28.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.