Toronto city councillor and chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Josh Colle announced on Wednesday he is not seeking re-election in the upcoming municipal election.
The Ward 15 Eglinton-Lawrence councillor said he will serve out his current term in office and leave for a private sector job.
Colle had been registered for the fall election since June 26, but decided in the past few weeks to step away from politics.
“I registered to run but as it got closer to the date of the final decision, I decided that the option of going back to the private sector was the one I wanted to take and pursue,” Colle said during a news conference at city hall Wednesday morning.
READ MORE: TTC board appoints acting CEO Rick Leary as head of transit agency on permanent basis
Colle said some of his proud moments as a councillor includes the Lawrence Heights revitalization project and the investments into the “nuts and bolts” of the TTC.
“A lot of my term was spent, and I said it was soon as I got the role, we need to a return to the nuts and bolts of transit. I think we did that,” Colle said.
Some of those measures include free fares for children 12 and under, restoring and expanding bus routes, introducing a network of express bus routes and getting the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension project on track and open last year.
READ MORE: Two-hour Toronto transit transfer launching late next month for Presto users
Prior to being elected in 2010, Colle worked in the financial services sector, the transportation industry, and served as vice president of an energy and infrastructure firm.
Toronto voters head to the polls on Oct. 22.