MHA Kelvin Parsons won't run in N.L. election

Liberal MHA Kelvin Parsons has announced he will not be running in the fall provincial election.

"I just felt it was the appropriate time for me personally to move on," he said.

"It's been in the works for some time.I got into politics back in 1999 with the goal of hopefully being there for 10 years, and it has lasted 13."

Parsons will continue to serve as the MHA for Burgeo and La Poile districtuntil the provincial election in October.

His retirement means the provincial Liberal Party will only have twoincumbents running on October 11 Liberal Leader Yvonne Jones, the MHA for Cartwright - L'Anse au Clair and Marshall Dean, whowas elected to the House of Assembly in 2009 as MHA for The Straits White Bay North.

"I think they're in great shape," said Parsons.

"I'm retiring from elected office, I'm not retiring from the Liberal Party.I will be there front and center for [Liberal Leader] Yvonne Jones and the Liberal Party for this election," he said.

But what Parsons is really looking forward to is a winter without snow. He said he'll probably travel south in January.

"I'm 56 now in August...for 43 years I've either been going to school, or in the law business and the 13 years in politics," he said. "So after 43 years I think I'd like to sit back for a couple of months, and decide if it's going to be retirement pasture, or maybe some opportunity will come by."

Parsons said his son, Andrew, has expressed an interest in running in Burgeo and La Poile in the upcoming election.

Veteran Liberal MHA Roland Butler announced earlier this year that he is also retiring and won't run in the next provincial election. Leanne Hussey is the newLiberalcandidate for that seat.

Butler has been theMHAfor Port de Grave district since2001.