Two-term Mercer Island  City Councilmember Mike Cero said he will not seek re-election in November.

Cero was elected in 2007 and again in 2011. He is usually the lone conservative voice behind the dais. Last year, he was the only councilmember to oppose a property tax increase and $20 vehicle license fee.

Cero said he was encouraged by the turnout to fill a recent vacancy on the Council, and that the Island will be well-served by whoever will replace him.

“I have as much enthusiasm for the Council as when I first took office, but new blood is good for the organization. If any community has an endless supply of competent and committed citizens from which to run, it’s Mercer Island,” Cero wrote in an email. “We have several important issues facing our community. Trust that I will work hard to influence and shape those issues with Mercer Island’s long term interests first on my agenda.”

Before joining the Council, Cero served as the Lakeridge PTA President and on the Mercer Island PTA Council, MISD Class Size Committee, MI Arts Selection Committee, VFW Commander and Vice Commander, VFW Historical Building Committee and the Sunny Beam Capital Improvements Board.

Regionally, he sits on committees for Eastside transportation, the Renton Airport and the King County Flood Control District.

The terms of Councilmembers Jane Brahm, Bruce Bassett, Debbie Bertlin and newly appointed Joel Wachs will also end next year, though they haven’t commented on their plans yet.

In 2013, Councilmember Benson Wong defeated Rich Erwin for a Council seat, and Deputy Mayor Dan Grausz was re-elected. They will hold their seats until 2018.