Council Member Grant Degginger, a member of the body since 1999, has decided not to file for reelection.

Degginger cited the busy life as a lawyer and family man as the reason for his decision. He also noted in a statement a loss of cooperation that has occurred on the council in the past year-and-a-half, much of which has been a part of the debate over East Link light-rail alignments in Bellevue.

“The collegiality, creative problem-solving and compromise that allowed us to accomplish so much seems to have disappeared,” he wrote in a statement announcing his decision.

During Degginger’s time on council he’s been a part of many important accomplishments for the city.

“Bellevue has become the epicenter of the Eastside, and an essential part of the region’s and state’s economy. Today, what happens in Bellevue matters not only to the citizens who live within its borders but also to people all over the Puget Sound area,” he wrote. “We have been able to accomplish this amazing transformation because the members of the city council both before and during the time I have served have been committed to the vision and have been willing to provide the leadership and make the decisions necessary to nurture this progress.”

Degginger has been involved in city business since 1991 as a planning commissioner and later a council member. He served as mayor for two terms as well. He is a shareholder at the legal firm Lane Powell.

Degginger’s decision came on the final day of filing week for the 2011 election. He was the only incumbent candidate not to file for reelection. Claudia Balducci, John Chelminiak and Jennifer Robertson have all filed. None of them have officially drawn a challenger as of noon on Friday.

One man has filed to run for what will now be the vacant council seat. John Stokes, a retired attorney and avid Parent Teacher Association volunteer filed Friday.

Two other candidates – Aaron Laing and Patti Mann – previously announced their candidacy but have yet to file. Neither of the two have declared which position they intend to run for.

Another candidate, Michelle Hilhorst, is listed on the Washington Public Disclosure Commission’s website as running against Chelminiak, but she also has yet to file.

Degginger closed his remarks by urging the council to return to the collegial track that was the signature of the council for many years.

“This community expects council members to lead by example,” he wrote. “Instead of tolerating or even worse by promoting harsh rhetoric in the community, council members need to take responsibility not only for their own behavior but for their surrogates in the community. The voters should hold them accountable for doing so.”