Longtime Bristol Town Clerk Louis Cirillo sent a note late Wednesday afternoon, announcing he will not be seeking another term in office when his term expires later this year, as he embarks on his second battle with prostate cancer. Following are Mr. Cirillo’s words:

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with a rather aggressive case of prostate cancer.  The treatment included radical surgery and a follow up of a combination of hormone and radiation therapy.  These treatments carried side effects that not only changed my life forever, but left me with a level of permanent discomfort.  For a variety of reasons, I chose not to reveal my situation publicly and chose to tell only my family, closest friends and my Town Hall staff and associates.

Through it all, I went to work every day, never missed any of my obligations, worked at every Town Council meeting and continued to do my job to the best of my ability. The political campaign of two years ago was very difficult. My employment and livelihood were aggressively threatened and my integrity and competence were impugned while I was debilitated by constant hot flashes, insomnia, and loss of bodily control. I continued as best I could, working every day while having to also campaign to keep the job that I had loved and worked at so hard for the previous near-decade and a half.

Fortunately, with the help of so many of you, I was able to keep my job in service to the Town I love. I launched my new term with renewed energy and enthusiasm.  And despite the disappointment I felt because of the number of people who chose not to support me, have continued to work hard for each and every citizen – making changes and improvements with the hope that things will run even better than before.

A few weeks ago, I learned that my cancer had returned.  Although my prognosis is very good, it is for this reason that I feel that it would be a disservice to myself and my loving and supportive wife and family if I were to seek another term. I plan to finish my current term and retire in December of this year. I know that this is a disappointment to many people who support me, and I do want each and every one of you to know how much that support is appreciated. I am making this announcement at this time with the sincere desire that an honorable person of good character with capability, integrity, and knowledge will come forward to take my place in the next term.

Louis P. Cirillo
Bristol Town Clerk