Longtime Covington leader Joe Meyer will not seek reelection next year, bringing his two-term mayoral tenure to an end next December.
“At the end of the next term, I would be at 80 … 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 said at a city commission meeting Tuesday night.
Meyer did not immediately respond to a phone call from The Enquirer, but he said during the meeting: “I have decided that I am not running for a third term. It’s time. It was a difficult decision.” While Meyer is a Democrat, Covington mayor is a nonpartisan position.
Covington is Northern Kentucky’s largest city with about 41,000 residents. It’s also a Democrat stronghold for local and state candidates.
Meyer was elected in 2016 and has spent the past 45 years in public service as a state senator, representative, school board member, state secretary of education and workforce development, and attorney for two Kentucky school districts and the city of Bellevue
Recapping his time as mayor, Meyer said there has been an explosive boom in population and renewed economic vitality.
“We’ve come a long way … and it’s taken a lot of work and energy and the job is not done,” he said.
For the next 13 months, Meyer plans to focus on riverfront development, converting Greenup and Scott streets to two-way roads, addressing stormwater issues, and getting the city government ready for its move into a new city hall.
He said the decision to announce his last term as mayor gives others the chance to consider running for the office before the Jan. 5 candidate filing deadline.
“There is still much to do and it’s time for somebody else to lead the charge,” he said.
