DeKALB – DeKalb Mayor Jerry Smith announced Thursday he will not seek a second term as Mayor.
Smith, 76, who celebrates his 77th birthday next week, held a news conference at city hall, 164 E. Lincoln Highway, Thursday afternoon and said by the time he’d finish his second term, if re-elected, he’d be 81.
“Looking at the prospect of being 81 near the end of another mayoral term simply is not something that is right for the Smiths or, frankly, for the City of DeKalb,” he said, sitting next to his wife, Ging Smith.
In 2016, Smith – a former executive director of the DeKalb County Community Foundation – announced he’d be running for Mayor, ousting incumbent John Rey.
“It has been so rewarding,” Smith said, citing his love for the city and that he never considered himself a politician. “I’ve learned so much about government, about this community’s fine, upstanding people. DeKalb continues to be a place, a good place, where folks can live, work and raise their families.”
The election isn’t until April 2021, though another elected official, Ward 1 Alderman Carolyn Morris, 36, announced her intention to run for mayor as well on Aug. 12.
This is a developing story which will be updated.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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