A Worcester councillor is not standing for re-election in May - and has dedicated his time on the council to a political activist.
Green Party councillor Tom Piotrowski is stepping down from the city council two years after being elected to the Battenhall ward.
“One of the main reasons I decided to stand was meeting a young man called Michael Dunn,” he said.
“He was an Extinction Rebellion activist. I met him in late 2022 and we talked and disagreed on some things and agreed on others.
“But I said to him that it’s time in politics to say the unsayable sometimes and God knows that I tried my best.
“Michael passed away sadly, aged 39 of brain cancer, so I’d like to dedicate those two years to him.
“When my family and friends learned I wasn’t going to stand - it was just getting too much for all sorts of reasons - quite a few people said ‘congratulations, Tom’.
“I think they were talking about the sense of relief but also sharing questions about what people outside this chamber think - whether politicians can be trusted, whether they lack authenticity sometimes.”
Cllr Piotrowski thanked the residents of Battenhall and said he would miss his fellow councillors.
Worcester mayor Louis Stephen said: “Tom is passionate about fighting for social justice and the rights of migrants and all those seeking refuge in our country.
“Tom is a friend of mine and a good friend of the local Green Party, so I’m sad to see him go.”
Cllr Jabba Riaz said in his mayoral year he chose Cllr Piotrowski, who wasn’t then a councillor, as his mayor’s community ambassador.
“Tom was someone I’d known from community events and who I knew would do the office of the mayor proud in his ambassadorial role in the community,” Cllr Riaz told Worcester City Council on March 26.
“Tom is a diligent councillor with a deep sense of moral purpose - he will always prod and probe to get under the skin of matters, to dig a little deeper, to ask the awkward questions and to make sure everyone understands the consequences of the decisions being made.”
Cllr Elena Round said: “What can I say, Tom? You’ve been inspirational to me in so many ways.
“Your enthusiasm for politics was right from that very first meeting when we met and you were persuading me to become a councillor. You’ve been right by my side and I will miss you tremendously.”
Joint leader Marjorie Bisset said she was sad that Cllr Piotrowski was stepping down and paid tribute to his “passion for the European cause”.
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