©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| FIRST ON WGIL: Mayor Changes Mind, Drops Out of Race for Another Term; DOWNLOAD FULL INTERVIEW HERE |
POSTED: 2:48pm 11/17/08 Galesburg Mayor Gary Smith says he had a "moment of clarity" while sitting at his desk at NAEIR Monday morning, and believes while it may lead people to call him a flip-flopper, he knows it's the right thing to do.
"I decided that I don't want to run for mayor again next term," Smith said in an interview with WGIL's Will Stevenson. "I'll fill out my term, and that's gonna be it."
Smith says he realized he initially intended to not run for a second term before changing his mind -- but he says this time, he is serious and won't change his mind again, and that neither his family, nor business considerations had anything to do with it.
In fact, Smith tells WGIL, he just didn't think he could continue to do a good job. "I just don't have it in me to do it four more years, seeing as if it were possible that I would be re-elected," Smith said. "I'd hate to go through the whole process, and if -- that's a big if -- if I were to be elected, what would I do for the next four years?"
Smith says among the four candidates left who still plan on running -- Fifth Ward Alderman Karen Lafferty, state economic development official Sal Garza, former Alderman Margaret Hall and small business owner Nathan Rockhold -- he's not throwing his support behind any of them yet. He says he will, if one of them were to come out and say they're pro-business, has a business background, understands the bigger economic development picture, and wants to develop a long-term economic development plan that is both public and private in nature.
To hear Will Stevenson's entire interview with Mayor Gary Smith, CLICK HERE (mp3 format).
(Mayor Gary Smith. File Photo.) |
|
| 11 17 08 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
