MADISON – Madison Mayor Paul Finley awill not be seeking reelection for a fourth term.
“We’re here because it is an announcement to tell you guys that I do not plan on seeking a fourth term as the mayor of the city of Madison,” Finley announced at a press conference this morning.
Finley has served three terms as mayor. After first serving in 2008, Finley decided not to seek re-election in 2012 to focus on his family.
However, he ran in 2016 and won his second term, then a third in 2020.
Finley said being mayor of Alabama’s ninth-largest city was the highlight of his professional career.
“We’ve done a great job of defining the mission statement for the city of Madison, making sure we kept our roads strong, supporting our Madison City Schools. Economic development was critical, but as importantly, it was building relations with our surrounding community,” Finley said. “And we have done a wonderful job of that in 2019, putting together a plan with our City Council, our school board and our superintendent.
“We asked our community to invest in themselves, raise your property tax 12 mils, and we’ll keep the school system that you love as strong as you want it to be.”
Madison municipal elections will be next year after the Legislature voted in 2021 to move some municipal elections to 2025 to reduce the workload of election workers who would also be working the general election and primaries throughout this year.
“So, as I looked to 2020, what I wasn’t prepared for was 2021 when our state legislators added one year to our term,” Finley said. “I didn’t ask for it, but they gave it to us. And I think as a mayor, you have a commitment with your city for what you ran for next four years.
“So when I look to this bonus year, I get to treat it just as that. I love Madison, Alabama. I’m not leaving the mayor’s office simply because I have a problem.”
Finley said he will be focusing on his business when his term concludes.
“What am I going to do? Well, I have a consulting business,” he said. “I have Paul Finley Consulting. I do professional development training, I do consulting and strategic planning.
“You can expect me to go back to doing that.”
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