RIVERTON — Mayor Mont Evans of Riverton confirmed Wednesday he will not seek re-election next year, ending a 23-year political career, including stints in the state House of Representatives, the Senate, City Council and the Planning Commission.

Although Evans has been under criticism from Riverton citizens for a complex legal battle over a 100-acre development planned for the city, he said he hadn't planned to run for re-election.

"I've had a great experience and three years is enough. You just get burned out with all of this stuff," Evans said. "I need to think about retirement. I've made my contributions. It's someone else's turn to go at it."

He said he supported the development, which includes a Wal-Mart and 800 housing units, because the project's resulting sales tax would help pay for a growing city.

"By 2025, we'll have 65,000 people in the city." he said. "We need to have a tax base and infrastructure in now or we'll become an expensive place to live with mediocre services. It's a vital time in history to choose."

About 5,000 residents signed a petition opposing the project that the mayor and City Council members approved in January. The case has now been brought before the Utah Supreme Court to get a referendum on the ballot.

Evans believed that the battle over the commercial development issue has caused a rift between himself and some Riverton residents, but he believes those who voted council members into office should have more faith in their decisions.

"These people were elected with the support of the citizens, and they should continue to be supported by the citizens," he said. "When we say the Pledge of Allegiance we say, 'For the Republic for which it stands,' not for the democracy for which it stands."

He adds that the 5,000 people who signed the petition were presented with misleading information such as the inclusion of apartment complexes on the proposed agenda.

"I also think that it's only a certain area of the city that doesn't want this, and so when they go around asking for signatures, the majority of people just sign the petition because they don't want to offend their neighbors," Evans said.

Evans has also been challenged by resident and state Rep. David Hogue Riverton, an outspoken critic of the development.

"(Hogue) has the ability to relate to people and generate support and alternately make somebody else the bad guy," Evans said. "I really do wish him well in his career, but in time people begin to understand that he does this to establish himself as the most liberal representative and then see the low level of his actual effectiveness."

Hogue, however, says he is representing Riverton because the people of the city asked him and believes Evans has received much of his pressure because he works with city government.

"(Evans) is swimming upstream against what the people want," Hogue said. "The mayor is making his own decision, he has to deal with the people in the city and its politics."

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