Kerry Jang won’t be running in Vancouver’s next civic election scheduled for October 20, 2018.

The three-term councillor with the Vision Vancouver party finally confirmed rumours in an email to Globe and Mail reporter Frances Bula, who shared the news on her blog this morning (January 23).

“I am retiring from city hall after a decade of service,” Jang wrote. “I told [Mayor] Gregor [Robertson] when I ran in the last election that this was to be my last term as several talented people wanted the opportunity to run in the future.  I’m keeping that promise to them.

“I meant to let people know this earlier but my Dad’s illness and subsequent passing, and my daughter’s move to Hong Kong University has kept me distracted.  My Dad’s funeral was yesterday.”

Jang is the latest of what’s now a majority of  Vision Vancouver politicians who have said they’re leaving civic politics.

Robertson announced he would not seek re-election on January 10. Councillors Andrea Reimer, Tim Stevenson, and George Affleck have also said their names won’t be on the ballot in October.

It leaves Vision Vancouver with only two councillors seeking re-election, unless they decide they're also not running again. That's Raymond Louie and Heather Deal.

The departures follow the party making a weak showing in an October 2017 by-election that was held to fill a council seat after Vision’s Geoff Meggs left civic politics for a job in the B.C. premier’s office. Vision’s first-time candidate, Diego Cardona, came in fifth place.

Jang is trained as a psychologist and works as a professor at the University of British Columbia. He was often Vision's most visible councillor, frequently speaking to media on hot-button issues such as marijuana, mental health, and drug-overdose deaths.