MONROE - Mayor Ron Marsh will run for a third term.
Marsh took out nomination papers Dec. 24.
He will enter the mayoral race in April with two challengers, Bill Ross, who served as Monroe's mayor from 1994 to 2006, and a newcomer to city politics, 25-year-old Tyler Schultz.
In a letter he delivered to the Times Monday, Marsh indicated his decision to run again was based on "a personal standpoint" as well as a number of other issues.
Two of the issues he presented in his letter concerned information given to the public about his administration and the difficulties he encountered fulfilling commitments he made to citizens over the past four years.
"These last four years this administration has been raked over the coals. You, the citizens of Monroe, have been fed a continuing diet of information about this administration which provided you with, in some cases, only (half) the story and at other times information which was incorrect. There are also individuals outside our community who have indicated, to me, their images of our city. You all deserve to know the facts and the whole story. You all deserve to know what this administration has really done for all of you and the City of Monroe these last four years," Marsh's letter said.
"The second issue is four years ago this administration made eight ... commitments to you. We have (met) and surpassed each of those commitments. However, it seemed like, each time we turned a corner we had to take two steps back prior to proceeding and resolve issues created by past administrations. The City of Monroe can not afford to revert back to the past. We need to continue looking beyond the horizon. We need to continue down the path to a brighter future for the City of Monroe," the letter said.
Marsh wrote he and his wife Judy discussed for three weeks whether he should run for a third term.
Marsh did not return a call Monday for more specifics on his comments.
He ran in 2006 as a write-in candidate, and was unopposed in 2008.
Nomination papers must be filed by Jan. 5.
Marsh took out nomination papers Dec. 24.
He will enter the mayoral race in April with two challengers, Bill Ross, who served as Monroe's mayor from 1994 to 2006, and a newcomer to city politics, 25-year-old Tyler Schultz.
In a letter he delivered to the Times Monday, Marsh indicated his decision to run again was based on "a personal standpoint" as well as a number of other issues.
Two of the issues he presented in his letter concerned information given to the public about his administration and the difficulties he encountered fulfilling commitments he made to citizens over the past four years.
"These last four years this administration has been raked over the coals. You, the citizens of Monroe, have been fed a continuing diet of information about this administration which provided you with, in some cases, only (half) the story and at other times information which was incorrect. There are also individuals outside our community who have indicated, to me, their images of our city. You all deserve to know the facts and the whole story. You all deserve to know what this administration has really done for all of you and the City of Monroe these last four years," Marsh's letter said.
"The second issue is four years ago this administration made eight ... commitments to you. We have (met) and surpassed each of those commitments. However, it seemed like, each time we turned a corner we had to take two steps back prior to proceeding and resolve issues created by past administrations. The City of Monroe can not afford to revert back to the past. We need to continue looking beyond the horizon. We need to continue down the path to a brighter future for the City of Monroe," the letter said.
Marsh wrote he and his wife Judy discussed for three weeks whether he should run for a third term.
Marsh did not return a call Monday for more specifics on his comments.
He ran in 2006 as a write-in candidate, and was unopposed in 2008.
Nomination papers must be filed by Jan. 5.