When we wrote last week about next year's Burlington City Council elections, just one incumbent had yet to decide whether she'd seek reelection: Councilor Rachel Siegel (P-Ward 3). 

Now Siegel says she's in.

The decision wasn't easy, she says. Siegel was hired in September as executive director of the Peace and Justice Center. She says she struggled to determine whether she could balance that new role with her council and family obligations. 

"I've had life changes since I ran two years ago," the Ward 3 Prog says. "The balance of my life has changed, and we really had to discuss how to make it sustainable without it having a big impact on the family. We figured out a handful of really concrete things we can do to try to keep some semblance of balance. It seems totally doable, and I'm totally psyched."

Siegel wasn't the only incumbent councilor grappling with that question. Councilors Bryan Aubin (D-Ward 4), Kevin Worden (D-Ward 1) and Paul Decelles (R-Ward 7) all said last week they were stepping down from city government in order to focus on work and family.

Despite the time drain, Siegel says her family inspired her to run for a second two-year term.

"Especially as a woman, it's incredibly valuable to do something like this when you have small children, so they grow up seeing how much someone can impact the world and how important it is to be engaged in the world," she says.

No challengers have yet emerged to compete for Siegel's Old North End council seat. Burlington Democrats will meet Wednesday night to determine whether to nominate a candidate. The election will take place on Town Meeting Day in March.

File photo by Matthew Thorsen.