Parkland County mayor not seeking re-election, focusing on health after tractor accident

Edmonton -

Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec says he is focusing on his health and will not be seeking re-election in October's municipal elections.

Shaigec made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter, citing the need to recover from serious injuries after he was run over by a tractor last September.

"My heart says yes, my body dictates no," he tweeted. "I can no longer ignore the serious injuries I sustained last year."

"It has been absolute honour and pleasure to serve as mayor."

Shaigec says he suffered a punctured lung, collapsed lung and 16 broken bones after a tractor he had borrowed from his father engaged in gear and ran him over.

"I fell backwards and saw the tractor drive over my ankles," he said.

"My thought was I need to jump into that tractor and stop it. I stood up and I was going to chase after the tractor. I put my left foot down and I collapsed, and at that point I looked down and saw my foot sticking 90 degrees diagonally."

He spent three months in hospital recovering.

"I felt a lot of pain and at times it did cause a lot of anxiety and mental stress. I was very fortunate to have a very strong network supporting me and encouraging me."

He had indicated he would run for re-election as recently as two weeks ago, according to an Aug. 6 tweet where he indicated he would be "seeking the support of the electorate this October." 

"This was unquestionably the most difficult decision I’ve made in my professional career," he said of not running again.

Shaigec has served as mayor since 2010.