A long-serving Swift Current city councillor announced yesterday afternoon he will not be seeking re-election this fall.

George Bowditch, who's been elected three-times by the residents of Swift Current, broke the ice becoming the first person in the city to say whether they'd be on the November 9 ballet or not.

"Things have changed a little bit on council as far as procedures and that sort of thing," he said Tuesday afternoon. "When things start to change and you aren't quite comfortable going with the changes, maybe it's time to let somebody else have a chance at a position like this."

Bowditch has had a seat at the council table since 2009 and said there was one change in specific being made that help him make his decision to depart his post.

"Perhaps one of the biggest things is communication," he said. "Basically I guess administration and parts of council wanted to streamline everything into a basic central location, which somewhat works good, but I still believe we have to be able to go out and reach out and see the people, talk to the people, and get the pulse of the people."

During his 11 year run representing the citizens of Swift Current, a pair of projects stood out to Bowditch that he was happy to see through. The first was the Meadows that opened in the spring of 2016 with 225 long-term care beds.

"The facility was needed," he said. "We had several other facilities including the Palliser that just weren't cutting it anymore. There was a huge amount of work needed to bring them up to code. It was not maybe the nicest living conditions back then. But to be able to work together with all of the communities (in the southwest) was so important."

The second project wasn't nearly as costly as the $108.5 million Meadows, but it certainly helped the seasoned councillor understand more of what goes into large projects.

"I was also involved in one of the expansions to Riverview Village Estates complex and that was another proud moment for me," he said. "A lot of stuff comes back to you that you would be surprised. Whether it be fire extinguishers to alarms to just basic staff conditions. It was another good experience for me."

One project he wished he was able to help council move forward with was a new integrated leisure facility.

Bowditch described him not seeking re-election to a hockey player aging and knowing when to call it a career, but he says the public will still see him around volunteering with the Swift Current Broncos.

"I'm going to catch up on some sleep," he said with a chuckle. "I'm going to continue to do golfing, and cheer for the Broncos, the Legionnaires, and hopefully down the road the 57's again. I love my sports, I love this community, I'm going to be around and if I can help out in any way I'm going to do it."

He will now have a bit more time on his hands to also spend on his business Bowditch Promotions.