COVINGTON, Ky. — Covington Mayor Joe Meyer announced during Tuesday night’s commission meeting that he will not seek reelection for a third term as the city’s head executive.
“I have decided that I am not running for a third term,” Meyer said in the commission chambers. “It’s time. It was a difficult decision. I love this city. Of all the jobs that I’ve had my favorite has been mayor.”
The announcement followed a brief discussion among the commission members about the designs for Covington’s new city hall building, slated for construction on Scott Street–commission members stated that public feedback on the design renderings was generally positive.
“I can’t think of anyone who’s a bigger champion of the city of Covington,” said City Manager Ken Smith.
Meyer took office in his first term as mayor in 2016. His current mayoral term will end on Dec. 31, 2024, and the decision to not seek reelection came “after 45 years of public life,” he said.
Prior to his time as mayor, Meyer served as the state of Kentucky’s secretary of Education and Workforce Development, a position he left in 2013. He also served in the Kentucky General Assembly for 15 years, where he chaired the House Cities Committee, the Senate State and Local Government Committee and the Senate Education Committee.
Meyer cited his age and a desire to spend time with his family as reasons for stepping away.
“At the end of the next term, I would be 80,” Meyer said. “That’s eight-zero years old, and it is presumptuous of me to believe that I can continue to serve four more years with the same level of energy and drive that this job requires.”
He added that he’d entered “an age where it’s just time to spend time with my wife and family and do the other things that we like to do.”
Leading up to the announcement, Meyer listed off what he viewed as the major accomplishments of his time in office: The riverfront developments at the former IRS site, accommodations for the city in the Brent Spence Bridge project and other economic development and infrastructure renewal efforts were among the items mentioned. He also lauded Covington’s culture, citing the Human Rights Campaign’s recent rating of Covington as one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the commonwealth, for instance.
“We have much to accomplish before I leave office,” Meyer said, later adding that he would continue to stay engaged with the community, even in retirement.
He concluded with a message for would-be candidates for mayor.
“Our successes have come because we have identified our values, set our goals and work to shape our future and not by passively letting the events around us or outside forces dictate our future,” Meyer said. “Take charge and accept responsibility for Covington’s future. Make it what we want it to be. Keep our focus on serving the public. We are proud of our community, and we are unapologetically Covington.”
There was little discussion following the mayor’s statement.
In an exchange after the meeting, however, Commission Member Ron Washington did state that he had been interested in serving as mayor for a long time, even though he made no official announcements as to whether or not he’s running at the meeting.
“I have always wanted to be mayor of the city I grew up in,” Washington said. “We must keep the positive momentum going.”
Covington residents interested in running for the position of Covington’s mayor must file the appropriate paperwork with the county clerk’s office by Jan. 5, 2024 to run in 2024.
The next meeting of the Covington Board of Commissioners will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 at 6 p.m. at Covington City Hall on Pike Street.
LINK nky is a media partner of WCPO.com.
Watch Live:
