Police Commission Chairman Paul Mangiafico has announced he will not seek reelection to the five-member commission, which he has headed since late 2011.

Mr Mangiafico, a Republican, is in the last year of a four-year term on the agency, which has three Republican and two Democratic members. Four of the five seats on the panel are up for election in the November 3 municipal elections.

Mr Mangiafico has served as the panel’s chairman since becoming a commission member.

The Police Commission creates and implements regulations for the 45-member police department. The agency appoints, promotes, suspends, and removes members of the police department, as needed. The panel also serves as the local traffic authority.

Before serving on the Police Commission, Mr Mangiafico, 79, was a selectman for two years and a Board of Education member for four years.

Of his tenure on the Police Commission, Mr Mangiafico said it has been “very interesting and very rewarding.”

“I am honored to have served on the commission,” he said.

He said he has been considering since late last year whether he wanted to serve another four-year term on the Police Commission.

Mr Mangiafico said that he travels often and is generally quite busy with his personal life, noting that serving as the Police Commission chairman is time-consuming.

“I’ve got plenty of things to do. I have family commitments. It gives me some options,” he said of his decision to leave the panel.

“The chairman carries a burden far in excess of the other members,” he said.

“I thought it was time for me to step aside, as I didn’t want to spend another four years on the Police Commission,” he said.

Mr Mangiafico said he does not know if he would seek another town position in the future.

The chairman said he expects that the Police Commission by mid-November would select a person to replace Police Chief Michael Kehoe, who will retiring in January.

“It’s a critical issue,” he said.