Late Monday night Falls Church City Councilman and former mayor Nader Baroukh issued a letter to the News-Press announcing he has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and as a result will not be seeking election to a third term on the Council this fall. “While the prospects for a cure are excellent, for the next several months I need to focus on my treatment, my recovery, and my family, and I do not feel that I could give a re-election campaign my usual high attention and dedication. For that reason, I will not be seeking re-election to the City Council this November,” he wrote.

The following is the complete text of the letter he submitted to the News-Press:

Dear Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the citizens of the City of Falls Church for allowing me to serve on the City Council for the last seven years.

A few weeks ago, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. While my prospects for a cure are excellent, for the next several months I need to focus on my treatment, my recovery, and my family, and I do not feel that I could give a re-election campaign my usual high attention and dedication. For that reason, I will not be seeking re-election to the City Council this November.

We have made great progress in the last seven years in a host of areas, from economic development to stormwater management, to settling the water litigation and expanding the City’s boundaries to include George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School.

I’m proud of what our community has accomplished, but there is also much more work on the horizon before we can achieve our full potential as a city. It is a great privilege and honor to be a part of the effort to achieve that potential, and I look forward to participating in that work for many years to come.

If you would like to learn more about thyroid cancer, the Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, at ThyCa.org, has been extremely helpful to me and my family.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you.

Sincerely, Nader Baroukh