Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera says she won't run again

Sarai Rivera, District 4 city councilor since 2012, will not seek reelection.

Rivera, who has one year left on her two-year term, made the announcement early Wednesday afternoon.

Among the reasons she cited for not running again is the 2020 death of her son, Zacarias Ortiz Hernandez, who was killed in a pedestrian crash in Oklahoma on Christmas Day. He was visiting family for the holidays at the time.

Rivera wrote of her decision: "Many may ask, 'Why now?' I believe that for everything there is a season. This is the end of this particular season and it is with an open heart that my spirit embraces a new season of my life. One of the major factors of my decision is that my husband and I want to have uninterrupted privacy with our children as a family to process the loss of our beloved son Zac. We know that this is something we will never really 'getover' but we want to take time as our hearts continue to process and find purpose in our pain by creating a legacy in honor of our Zac."

Rivera was elected to the City Council in November 2011, ousting incumbent Barbara Haller in the race for the district seat that covers Main South.

"In 2011, we made history and I was elected as the first Afro-Latina on the City Council and the only person of color elected to represent the city at the time," she wrote Wednesday. "When I took office in 2012, I wanted to honor those that came before me that were the 'first.' As I stood on their shoulders, my desire was to broaden my own shoulders, so others could stand on them in the future."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera, District 4, won't run again