Ald. Gary Poulson, District 20, announced Thursday he would not seek re-election in the spring after having served five years in his seat.

“The challenge of a very competitive race with clear political and philosophical choices was very inviting,” Poulson said in a statement. “However, the last two years have been very demanding for me, and I would like to redirect my energy and time to my family and other pursuits.”

He did, however, stress his continued commitment to civil service.

“This announcement does not signal an end to my commitment to and involvement in this great city and does not preclude future public service at the local government level,” said Poulson, who says he is eager to continue to sit on city committees after his term expires.

“I intend to try to stay involved and have been told by several people that I will probably be on a committee or board and deal with these things as a citizen member,” Poulson said.

This past April, addressing the City Council on which he served as president for the year past, Poulson cautioned of a growing divide within the Council.

“I’m concerned about the atmosphere,” Poulson said during his farewell speech. “We’ve all had our ups and downs. We should give each other a little more respect and a little more consideration.”

Eight months later, Poulson said he believes what he calls “lingering resentment” still inhibits the Council’s ability to perform its function of representing Madison residents in the city’s government.

“You got 20 pretty individually played people with more or less developed egos, and sometimes people can’t let those egos go and work together with others,” said Poulson, who is hopeful future Council proceedings will feature less bickering and more productivity.

“Hopefully, people will learn to deal with issues, debate them, and then move on.”

Poulson said Council stagnation was particularly evident in the progression of a smoking-restriction ordinance he helped to draft in August and pass in a compromise form in late November.

Poulson said his regrets are few but is disappointed he will not be able to contribute to future city initiatives, particularly the exploration of transportation policies

“I really excited about possibility of transportation, such as commuter rail or extended bus routes,” Poulson said.