Commissioner Nick Fish, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, has decided to step down from Portland City Council in 2020 to focus on his progressing illness.

"I have always brought energy and enthusiasm to my job as commissioner," wrote Fish in a Tuesday press statement. "Serving on the council has been the great honor of my life. Based on the demands of my illness, however, I no longer believe that I can do this work at the high level our community deserves and I expect of myself. I cannot escape the very sad fact that I will be unable to serve out the remainder of my term."

Fish was first diagnosed with stomach cancer in August 2017, and has been undergoing regular chemotherapy treatments since. The illness did not stop Fish from running—and winning—a reelection campaign in 2018. That term is set to expire in 2022.

In a lengthy statement, Fish said he'd let Mayor Ted Wheeler and his fellow commissioners pick when to schedule an election to select his successor in the coming year.

"Over the next few months, I will be working with Mayor Wheeler and my City Hall team to prepare for a transition," he wrote.

Fish, a civil rights lawyer, began his council career in 2008.

"I am privileged to have had the opportunity to serve the community I love for the past decade," he wrote.

His departure broadens an already wide 2020 City Council race. Commissioner Chloe Eudaly and Wheeler are up for re-election, and Commissioner Amanda Fritz is retiring, leaving an open seat. That leaves Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty as the only current commissioner guaranteed to still be sitting on Portland City Council in 2021.

Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury responded to Fish's announcement in an afternoon press statement.

"It has been painful to watch my friend fight a deadly disease, but the way in which he continued his public service—with grace and determination—has been nothing short of astonishing," said Kafoury. "Nick is a hero to many people, me included."