Kitsap County Commissioner Ed Wolfe said Thursday he has reversed his decision to run for re-election in November and instead will retire from public life.

Wolfe had initially made a decision to run for a third term in January, but said after discussions with his wife Wendy about their future life plans, reconsidered and will instead leave the county commission at the end of his term.

Wolfe was first elected to the District 3 seat in 2014, then ran unopposed and was re-elected in 2018 for a second four-year term.

“Eight years ago, I ran for commissioner to ‘Bring Balance Back’ to Kitsap County,” he said in a statement. “Looking back over these last two terms, I believe that I accomplished this mission to provide a balanced perspective and a fiscally conservative voice on our Commission.”

Wolfe said changing course was difficult. “Over the past month, Wendy and I have considered our own lives and plans for the years ahead,” he said. “We’ve just become grandparents and are looking forward to spending more time with our new grandson and our son and daughter-in-law.”

The District 3 commissioner said the last eight years have been challenging, especially while helping manage Kitsap County’s response to the pandemic.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and especially thankful for the collaboration of my fellow Commissioners as we’ve worked to protect and support Kitsap’s small businesses and families these past two years.”

Wolfe said he expects to remain involved in significant issues in the coming years, including law enforcement and public safety. He said he expects to work with police and the sheriff’s office “to restore the enforcement of the rule of law and to support our own law enforcement agencies who have been weakened and undermined by our state government.”

The commissioner currently chairs the Board of Kitsap County Commissioners and the Kitsap Transit Board. Prior to his election to the board of commissioners, Wolfe was a Kitsap County attorney for 20 years, founding the Wolfe Law Offices in 1997. He is a past president of the Kitsap County Bar Association and a former judge pro tem in county, municipal and district courts.