Jefferson City Mayor Eric Struemph announced Thursday he will not seek re-election in 2015.
After holding public office for six years, Struemph said the decision will be best for his family. He said he would like to spend more time with his daughters. Struemph also said he wanted to spend more time with his parents, since his father has been battling Alzheimer's.
Struemph said earlier this year he battled bladder cancer. He said he became ill soon after and that's when he started thinking about not seeking re-election.
"I had actually caught pneumonia thereafter because I didn't follow my doctor's orders to rest and ended up in the hospital for about six days," Struemph said. "And during that time frame I had a lot of time to think about life and what dad was going through and whatnot and decided that this was probably going to be my decision."
The mayor said he made his intentions clear so those who are interested in running for office will have adequate time to make that decision.
City councilmen Ken Hussey said he is strongly considering running for the position. Hussey said people have approached him prior to the mayor's announcement to consider running for mayor. He said today's announcement accelerates the decision making time line because an open seat may attract more interest to the table.
"I'm going to give it some strong consideration and talk to my wife and core people around me that support me and often give guidance and direction and arrive at the decision fairly soon of my intentions and whether or not I will seek the office of mayor," Hussey said.
The filing period for the 2015 election is from December 16 through January 20.