Longtime Oak Bluffs selectman Roger Wey said this week he will not seek reelection in April.

Mr. Wey, who has been a selectman since 1994 and has served a total of eight terms over 21 years, told the Gazette he decided not to run after much consideration. “I thought about it a long time, and the decision didn’t come easily,” Mr. Wey said. “But in the end, I just decided it was the right time to hang it up.”

Mr. Wey, 66, did not rule out returning to politics in the future, but said there are other things in his life he needs to focus on now. He expressed thanks to town voters for electing him to eight terms.

“It’s been an honor serving with my fellow selectmen and an honor serving the people of this town. I want to thank them for giving me the chance to represent them all these years,” he said.

In addition to serving seven terms as Oak Bluffs selectman and two terms as Dukes County commissioner, Mr. Wey has also served on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Dukes County retirement board, the Dukes County charter study commission and the Oak Bluffs board of appeals. He ran unsuccessfully in the state primary last year for the Cape and Islands representative seat recently vacated by Eric Turkington.

He has also served as the director of the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging since 2005 and is an active member in the Democratic party. Mr. Wey said he hasn’t decided if he will continue as the director of the Council on Aging.

He said in his 21 years as selectman he tried to be a consensus builder. “I just hope I was able to serve the interests of the people of this town. I always tried to do what they wanted,” he said.