Sammamish Mayor Don Gerend announced today he will not seek re-election to the Sammamish City Council this year.

Gerend, a member of the City Council since the city’s incorporation in 1999, served on the interim council that organized the city. He has been re-elected four times by Sammamish voters. He’s been selected by his fellow council members to serve as mayor four times, twice for one-year terms and twice for two-year terms.

In a press release, Sammamish City Manager Lyman Howard said Gerend’s contributions to the community are impossible to measure.

“Don has been here from the beginning,” Howard said. “And he’s been a source of energy, ideas and good will every step of the way. Cities don’t really put up statues anymore, but if we did, a granite likeness of Don Gerend would be the first one to go up in our City Hall Plaza.”

Gerend stated in the press release that he’s announcing his decision early so that it might encourage more people to step forward and run for City Council. The filing window to run for the council is May 15 through May 19.

During Gerend’s 18-year tenure on the council, the city’s population has grown from 34,000 to 62,000. Sammamish has often been cited as one of the safest cities in the state and listed among the best places to live in the U.S.

Gerend has participated in regional, state and national municipal government committees. He’s the past president of the Association of Washington Cities and past chair of the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation 2014 Finance Working Group. He currently serves on the Washington State Road Usage Charge Steering Committee, the AWC Executive Board and the PSRC Regional Council Executive Board. He holds math and physics degrees from the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Washington. He has worked as a rocket scientist at Boeing, a college professor and also spent many years doing commercial real estate.

Gerend expressed his gratitude for the community support the council has received since 1999, noting that expanding infrastructure, improving urban services and protecting the environment at the same time has not always been easy. He added the city finds itself in great shape today, thanks to outstanding city staff and council members from diverse backgrounds who brought unique skills to bear.

Sammamish Deputy Mayor Bob Keller also announced today that he will not be running for a second city council term. Keller, a 22-year resident of Sammamish, was elected deputy mayor at the beginning of this year.