KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — It will be the end of an era…when it happens. Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell has announced he won’t be running for reelection.
He became Kalamazoo’s longest serving mayor with his last election in November, and while he didn’t give a specific reason for his decision, he did say being Mayor was hard work and he has been doing it for over a decade.
He says he will spend his remaining months in office and beyond advancing the work of the city’s anti-poverty efforts, working with neighborhoods to put together their community plans, promoting minority and neighborhood businesses and promoting summer youth opportunities. And there were many other things he looks forward to doing.
The city has undergone great changes under his leadership, helping Kalamazoo survive through the great recession and helping guide the recovery, which hit Kalamazoo harder than most because of its dependence on tax base. He has been a key leader in the efforts to create the Foundation for Excellence and the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 strategic visioning project, and he has helped change the trajectory of the city as it heads into the future.
In a written statement, that he strayed from frequently, Hopewell concluded last night’s City Commission meeting by saying while many believe he wields the most power in city government, he says City Manager Jim Ritsema and his staff are the folks who are really in control and running day to day operations, and that won’t change.
He says Kalamazoo has many great leaders and it takes a strong election strategy to win, and he says he is willing to help anyone who is running understand what the job demands and what it takes to lead in the city.
He also encourages anyone with an interest to do so. He has also given them over a year and a half to get ready.
And while he usually discourages clapping during city meetings, he got a big round of applause when he concluded his comments.
