Naxxar mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami will quit politics to focus on her family and will not stand for another round of elections.
Muscat Fenech Adami told Times of Malta she was taking a step back to focus on her family and spend more time with her grandchildren.
“Slowing down to enjoy every moment has become my priority,” she said.
Muscat Fenech Adami served as a local councillor for four years, deputy mayor for another four, and mayor of Naxxar for the last seven years.
She said the role ate away at a significant amount of her time, leaving very little to enjoy her family.
“Being mayor requires full dedication, and after 15 years of service, I’ve decided to step back to prioritise my family and personal time,” she said.
She said it was a very difficult decision to make as she loved serving the community and working for the betterment of Naxxar.
“I understand that my decision not to contest may come as a surprise to many, given my longstanding commitment to the community. However, I hope it’s seen as a natural progression in life, where family priorities take precedence. I will always cherish the memories and experiences I’ve had while serving Naxxar,” she said.
Muscat Fenech Adami was cast into the spotlight in 2021 when she faced pressure to resign as mayor after ignoring party orders to vote against a massive residential and commercial complex on the former Naxxar trade fair grounds’ parking lot.
The vote and her subsequent refusal to resign triggered an internal PN ethics probe.
She was accused of failing to declare a conflict of interest in the proposed development, given her role as a company secretary in a firm partially owned by the architect behind the development.
The ethics probe findings were never published, and the mayor never faced disciplinary action, with the party merely saying in a short statement last year that “things could have been done better”.
Muscat Fenech Adami defended her vote in favour of the eight- and 10-floor project by saying that it did not go against current planning policies.
She also denied accusations of having a conflict of interest, saying: “I work with the company. It is not mine. Everyone has a job. They are two different jobs, and I see no conflict of interest.”
Muscat Fenech Adami said she will now focus her efforts on her family and her diplomatic role after having been nominated by the government as Malta’s non-resident ambassador to Bulgaria, a country with which she worked closely during her mayorship.