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Rockville City Councilwoman Anne M. Robbins will not seek a sixth term in office and will instead focus on health care reform and spending more time with her husband, she said.

"We felt that 10 years, a decade, is certainly long enough for anyone to serve on City Council," Robbins said. "It's not a lifetime job."

She announced her decision in a press release Sunday night.

"It has meant the world to me, it has been my dream," she said of serving five terms in office. "I really gave it my all."

Robbins has publicly backed Councilwoman Phyllis R. Marcuccio's bid for mayor, but said it is too soon to say if she will back a council candidate.

With Marcuccio running for mayor and Robbins not seeking re-election, two seats are open on the four-member council. Incumbents John Britton and Piotr Gajewski have announced their intentions to seek second terms.

The field of official or potential candidates has grown to double digits, and only a few days remain for candidates to officially file with the city.

Robbins' husband, Dave Robbins, served three terms on the council before Robbins first won her seat in 1999.

Robbins, 66, said she decided soon after the 2007 election that this would be her final term in office.

"A week after the last election, I threw all my [campaign] signs out," she said. "I already knew back then."

Mayor Susan R. Hoffmann, who has clashed with Robbins in the past, was not expecting the announcement.

"I was quite surprised to hear of her decision, and I wish her well in her future endeavors," Hoffmann said. "She's been very generous with her time and service in Rockville."

Civic activist Drew Powell said Robbins' departure is "Rockville's loss."

"She served so well for the city this past decade," Powell said. "I do think she's deserving of a break."

City Council candidate Mark Pierzchala ran against Robbins in the last election when Pierzchala had his sights set on the mayor's chair.

"In 2007, I learned from my own race, how formidable of a candidate you are," he said in an e-mail to Robbins. "No one was able to knock you off the council. You had a good, long run on the council, longer than all but a few."

Before being elected, Robbins was a substitute teacher in Montgomery County and worked with first lady Rosalynn Carter's Mental Health Commission.

She holds a bachelor's degree in education from Pennsylvania State University and a master's degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University.

Candidates must file their intentions to run for office by Friday. Election Day is Nov. 3.