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Schwiebert not running for re-election as R.I. mayor
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| Contributor | ev |
| Last Edited | ev Sep 17, 2008 05:19pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Wednesday, September 17, 2008 11:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
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Schwiebert not running for re-election as R.I. mayor
Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2008, 3:35 pm
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By Brandy Donaldson, bdonaldson@qconline.com
ROCK ISLAND -- Long-time Mayor Mark Schwiebert will not seek re-election in February's municipal primary, a decision he said wasn't easy to make after almost 20 years in office.
Mayor Schwiebert made the decision with “very divided and mixed emotions,” he said during a Wednesday morning news conference, choking back tears. But it's time for some “fresh” leadership in Rock Island, he contended.
"I have given long and serious deliberation to this almost literally up to the last minute. I've come to the conclusion it's time to move on,” he said with his wife Debbie and other city officials present.
Mayor Schwiebert, a practicing attorney, has been Rock Island's mayor since 1989. He served on the city council from 1981 to 1989 and was mayor pro tem from 1985 to 1989. He's had the longest mayoral tenure in Rock Island history.
“I think it's time to move on. It's time for the public to have fresh energy and perspectives from qualified people who are going to seek the office,” he said.
The mayor has no other immediate political plans, but he hopes he can still be of service in Rock Island, he said. His decades as an elected official have been successful, but even a good leader should know when to step aside, he added.
“It's important for elected officials to know when it's time to clear the way for someone else,” Mayor Schwiebert said. “I feel I'll be leaving office next spring with the city on a strong base. We've got a well-run government, with a city council that knows what it's doing and a staff that's very qualified and competent.
“But I think someone who has not been through this process for the last 20 years may be able to bring some new energy to it that someone who has been doing it this long doesn't have.”
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