Robert Radi will not seek reelection to the La Quinta City Council

La Quinta City Councilmember Dr. Robert Radi announced he will not run for a third term.

"As I enter the final stretch of my second term as a La Quinta council member, I feel a sense of immense gratitude for the opportunity you have given me. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life to serve our city, and it has been an honor and privilege to represent you," Radi wrote.

Radi said there were several factors he considered as he made his decision.

"However, what prevailed was our belief that the principle of term limits is paramount in strengthening a self-governing society," Radi wrote.

Radi said after his term is up in December, he will look for other opportunities to continue to be effectively involved in the community, specifically singling out potential involvement in youth leadership development. He also added that he is making his announcement now to give notice to viable candidates.

Radi was first elected to the city council in 2014. He was re-elected for a second term in 2018.

Read Councilmember Radi's Full Letter Below:

As I enter the final stretch of my second term as a La Quinta council member, I feel a sense of immense gratitude for the opportunity you have given me. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life to serve our city, and it has been an honor and privilege to represent you.
I love La Quinta, our beautiful and vibrant community made of amazing people. Together, we adapted to many challenges over the past seven years. The city’s daily operations are in the hands of a professional, highly qualified, and dedicated City Staff. We remained proactive, pivoted as needed, and accomplished remarkable objectives by transforming and optimizing city government efficiencies, fostering citizens’ engagement, effectively investing in enhancing the quality of life, Public Safety, amenities, and infrastructures. Our Commissions and AdHoc committees have undertaken active roles on all issues in a superb fashion. As a Council, we appropriately employed open debate, dialogue, public outreach, deliberation and made reasonable efforts to balance the equities. In a self-governing society, at times, compromise is the optimal solution.
La Quinta’s positive trend in all metrics is undeniable, the way forward trajectory is clear, and the future is bright. It would be tragic to derail. Challenges are always present, but there are no opportunities if there are no challenges. There are no magic wands, and banal platitudes will not get the job done; just old-fashioned roll up your sleeves will. That is leadership. I have loved being part of it, and I gave it my all.
Yet, all good things in life must come to an end. With the counsel of my amazing wife, Charlotte, I have decided not to seek a third term. It was not an easy decision as we considered several factors in our deliberation. However, what prevailed was our belief that the principle of term limits is paramount in strengthening a self-governing society. I am immensely grateful to those who recognized my genuine desire to serve and supported me over three campaigns and my time on council.
The purpose of making this announcement roughly nine months before the general election is to provide the all-clear to viable candidates, as I am confident they will emerge in short order. It takes time, dedication, and resources to ramp up a successful campaign. I am looking forward to supporting one candidate with a compelling track record in engaging with the community and doing the necessary homework. One candidate desiring to serve with integrity, intellectual honesty, and the willingness to learn and craft a campaign platform cemented on facts.
I am looking forward to continuing my service for the balance of my time on council, with the same zest, energy, dedication, and determination up to the very moment a new council member is sworn in during the first council meeting in December 2022. After that, I will look for other opportunities to be effectively involved in our community, especially concerning youth leadership development.
Onward, La Quinta!
With much love,
Robert Radi
Council Member
City of La Quinta