Wilmington mayor Saffo says he will not run for N.C. Senate (Wilmington Star News)
Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo will not seek New Hanover County’s state Senate seat in 2010, he said Monday afternoon.
“I felt that I had made a commitment to run for mayor of the city, and I needed to fulfill that commitment,” he said.
It was a “very tough decision,” Saffo added.
“I was very humbled at the amount of people that thought enough about me to say, ‘Make the run,’|” he said.
Saffo had been contemplating a run since Democratic state Sen. Julia Boseman announced late last year that she wouldn’t seek re-election in 2010. But he talked it over with his wife, Renee, and others over the holidays and decided not to seek higher office, he said.
Saffo, who owns Hanover Realty, just began his second full term as mayor after being re-elected in November.
Even before his re-election, rumors swirled about his potential interest in the Senate seat.
Two Republicans – attorneys Thom Goolsby and Michael Lee – have announced their intentions to run.
But with Saffo’s announcement, the door remains wide open for Democratic hopefuls.
Jim Leutze, a Democrat and former chancellor of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, is considering a run, but said he had not made up his mind as of Monday afternoon.
Alex Dale, chairman of the New Hanover County Republican Party, said Saffo made the right decision, given his promises to city voters as he ran for re-election last year.
“I’m glad that he’s sticking to his word in this instance,” Dale said.
Jim Morgan, chairman of the New Hanover County Democratic Party, said the party looks forward to Leutze’s decision and will continue to search for candidates.
“We’ll be talking about it in the next couple of days and see who might be out there interested in running,” he added.
Saffo was first appointed to the mayor’s seat in 2006 after former Mayor Spence Broadhurst vacated the post in the middle of a term.
He didn’t rule out a bid for higher office after his current two-year term expires in late 2011.
“You never say never in politics,” he said.
Patrick Gannon: 343-2328
By Patrick Gannon
Staff Writer
Published: Monday, January 4, 2010 at 4:20 p.m.
