State Rep. Willie Mae Allen (D-Mattapan) won’t be seeking re-election this year, she told the Reporter Tuesday. “I had no intention of staying here forever,” said Allen, who represents the Sixth Suffolk District.

“I came to the State House because of the urging of my community,” she added. “They asked me to run because they felt as though I’d be the best candidate for this office.”

After serving out the rest of her present term, she said she plans to spend more time with her family, work on women’s rights issues, and travel.

She said she plans to stay on the Democratic State Committee, which she has been a member of since 1982.

She has been in the House of Representatives since 2007, serving on the Committee on Elder Affairs, the Committee on Election Laws and the Committee on Financial Services.

A possible contender to replace her is Faustina “Kathy” Gabriel, whom Allen trounced in a 2008 Democratic primary. Other names being circulated include Darrin Howell, an aide to City Councillor Chuck Turner, and Karen Payne, president of the Boston branch of the NAACP.