Martin Bemberg

Courtesy photo

Less than a month after announcing an election bid, Martin Bemberg has decided to drop out of the race to become the next Ward 2 representative on the Fayetteville City Council.

“I realized without much effort that my priorities are my family and finishing my degree,” said Bemberg on Monday.

The 24-year-old language tutor said although he no longer plans to challenge Matthew Petty for the Position 2 seat in the Nov. 6 general election, he will operate as campaign manager for a replacement candidate.

Bemberg said he preferred not to disclose the name of the potential candidate until the person officially files for the seat, but told us “he is a young, up-and-coming business owner who is well respected among the commercial community in Ward 2.”

“The unannounced candidate I support simply has thicker skin than I and nerves of steel,” said Bemberg, who cited other reasons for dropping out of the race.

“I was very discouraged when I started spending time with local politicians and discussing the issues with them,” said Bemberg. “I realized quite quickly that holding a municipal office, in the opinion of our current leaders, is less about being a servant to our community and more about convincing people that they, and only they, know what’s best for the rest of us. These are not the kind of people I want to work with, and it is not a game I’m willing to play. I’m not going to involve myself in the game of arrogance and intellectual dishonesty I see in government.”

This is the second time Bemberg has decided not to pursue previously announced plans for a Ward 2 council bid. He told the Flyer in April 2010 that he would run against Mark Kinion and Adam Fire Cat for the Position 1 seat, but backed off those plans before the filing period began. Kinion went on to defeat Cat with 77 percent of the votes, replacing outgoing Alderman Kyle Cook.

The filing period for City Council and other municipal candidates begins July 27.