Mayor Will Not Run for Re-Election

Douglasville Mayor Mickey Thompson had a surprise ending to his one-hour State of the City address Tuesday evening: He will not run for re-election this year.

Eleven years after taking over the mantle as mayor, Thompson slipped the announcement into the ending of a recorded visual presentation given to about 30 people during the regular City Council meeting. The audience included his wife, Janice, his daughter, and several members of the community and his staff.

During the State of the City address, Thompson went through a long list of accomplishments during his 11 years as mayor and four years as a council member.  He called it a "positive annual report" and said the city maintained the quality of its service while cutting its budget during his time in office.

"I didn't make this as a snap decision," Thompson said. "I thought about this for an awfully long time. I discussed this thoroughly with my family. I have some personal items and goals I would like to work on in the future."

Council member Dennis McLain has served with the mayor for six years. "I don't know what to say," he said. "I don't think I expected it. I understand his situation. He wants to spend some time with his family, and you're not going to do that as mayor. Especially if you want to do a good job and do the right thing."

Council member Larry Yockey has served with Thompson for only a year.

"The mayor and I have had some differences, but he's had a lot of successful accomplishments, and I commend him for his work," Yockey said. "He's a very knowledgeable person. He understands how a city must be run, and so I commend him for that. And I think he'll be missed. Time will tell, and we'll just have to see what happens in the future."

"The mayor and I have not seen eye to eye on a whole lot of issues," council member Terry Miller said. "But I also commend him. He should be proud of the service he's given to the city. He's dedicated a lot of his personal time and his personal fortune to serving the city of Douglasville. I wish him well in his future endeavors, whatever they may be."

"I still have 12 months to serve the citizens that elected me four years ago, and I do not want to treat that slightly," Thompson said. "This announcement in no way will diminish my efforts over the next 12 months. At the conclusion of that, then I will counsel with my family and others whose opinions I value.

"At this time, my goal is to continue working as hard as I can over the next 12 months. I don't plan to leave Douglasville. I don't plan to move anywhere else. I've been here almost 40 years, and this is my home. It's where my children were born, and I plan to stay here and offer myself in whatever service that the public would deem necessary. I would like to stay involved. I'm not riding off into the sunset or going somewhere else. I love our city. I want our city to continue into the future, and I think the groundwork that we've laid will permit a very easy transition."

He  said he probably won't have a decision about his ultimate future until after Dec. 31.