Stephen Nodine Will Not Run For Mayor

Tuesday is the filing deadline for municipal races in the City of Mobile. So far, no one is running against Mayor Sam Jones.

Some people thought County Commissioner Stephen Nodine might throw his hat into the ring. This morning on the Uncle Henry Show, Nodine announced he will not run.

Nodine says Monday's announcement by Mayor Jones that crime is the lowest it's been in more than a decade helped him make his decision. Nodine called the announcement a "media stunt." He says the "numbers were so over cooked" that "no one who has lived in Mobile for the last two years could possibly believe them."

Nodine says he believes running against Mayor Jones would "bring the city into a battle over philosophies that could rip us into pieces."

Nodine's Statement
To the citizens of the City of Mobile:

Starting back sometime around Christmas I started receiving calls from citizens of Mobile encouraging me to run for Mayor. These requests have continued as I appeared on talk radio and as I have seen people in public. It is very humbling to have so many people proactively show their support for you before you have even considered announcing your candidacy. To all of those people who feel that I would be the right candidate, who feels that I would the right Mayor for Mobile, let me say Thank You!

I am very happy as a County Commissioner representing the best district anyone could ask for but I heard the cry for someone to challenge Sam Jones and I took it seriously. I spent the last two weekends seriously considering the impact to my family and while I had my thoughts both ways up until yesterday I really didn't know what I was going to do.

Let me say this, I think a lot of Sam Jones. Together we have accomplished some great feats. There is no question that we can work together and even though we disagree on a whole host of issues, we have continuously put those objections aside and worked together to make things happen. There have also been times that I have refused to go along with the Mayor on philosophical grounds.

For the last couple of weeks I have been very vocal about why people were asking me to run. I have been vocal about the problems this city is facing and the need for the city to do more. Specifically I named crime as the number one concern for the citizens inside the City of Mobile and before this nothing had been mentioned about efforts to improve crime fighting inside the city. The second concern was tax and spending priorities including the benefits promised to those who were recently annexed into the City of Mobile, promises made by Mayor Sam Jones.

These are legitimate and serious concerns that have been brought by thousands of people to me, in letters personal conversations and upon talk radio. Yet when I placed these issues in focus the Mayor and his staff responded by making theses serious issues nothing more than a political football. A media stunt of lining up police cars on the lawn to symbolize great strides in public, a show of statistics that purported to represent the lowest crime rate in more than 10 years. Numbers that were so over cooked, no one who has lived in Mobile for the last two years could possibly believe them.

Yesterday's actions by the Mayor showed me that running against Sam Jones for Mayor would be devastating for this city. If he is willing to turn the most serious issue of crime and public safety into a political stunt there would be no way to have a serious conversation and raise attention to the important concerns held by the tax payers. His response yesterday, his actions in manipulating information to convince the public that they are safe, but just don't know it. Yesterday told me I didn't need to run against Sam Jones for Mayor and create a battle in this city that we might never recover from.

No doubt that the Mayor needs to be reminded of his promises. No doubt that the Mayor needs to be held accountable. In the absence of a news paper that will question his actions, or dare to criticize the Mayor we definitely need someone who is willing to stand up and talk about the issues important to our tax payers. Be sure that I intend to do just that.

The Mayor and other city officials often remind the County Commission that we also represent the city. Never before has the county seen how directly the city and her actions can impact the county. As crime rises in the city we must increase funding to provide for the jail and public safety as those criminal elements bring their fear into the county. I will not stand by quietly and watch the city fall, nor will I stand by as the Mayor and his promises go unfulfilled, promises made in political hest or not.

I love Mobile and as we sit in a very fragile place of dangerous violent crime and high taxes resting upon what was once a great economic future now mired in questions I cannot bring the city into a battle over philosophies that could rip us into pieces. I regret to announce that I will not be seeking the office of Mayor for the City of Mobile but I will make a promise to all of those in the City whom we on the County Commission do represent, know that you have a voice. You have a group of leaders that will listen to you and I will use every inch of my ladder to raise your issues and demand action by the city and I will start that effort this summer. I am going to bring together a summit on crime with each of the police and public safety leaders from within our county and our city. We will hold public meetings to discuss the crime in Mobile and what needs to be done. We will explore the realities our community is now facing and what needs to be done to combat this rising evil.

Again I want to thank everyone who has called upon me. To the people of Mobile County, I love what I do and I love working with you. I will be here serving as a conservative leader as long as you will have me here and I hope you realize how important it is that we work to ensure that the city and her leaders don't forsake their obligations. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make a difference in Mobile and I hope you will respect my decision to put the best interest of our city above the political ambitions that we might seek.