Mayor Shleton Not Running Again

Mayor Shelton is not running for a third term and describes his plans for the remainder of his term.

Tupelo mayor jason shelton will not seek a third term.

The announcement caught many voters by surprise over the weekend.

Wcbiwcbi's allie martin has more on the decision, and what the mayor wants to accomplish over the next eleven months.

Pkg mayor jason shelton has spent the past six months trying to decide whether to seek a third term and he decided not to run again.

"the time is right for me to go back to practicing law, take care of my family, provide for my family."

When he was elected in 2013, shelton was the first democrat elected mayor of the all america city in nearly three decades.

He easily won a second term in 2017.

Now, shelton says changes in his personal life will require more of his attention.

The mayor also says he will continue speaking out about the upcoming presidential election.

"i'm, 44, i've got a baby on the way, still dealing with my father's estate, lot of real estate, need to get that situation taken care of, so those things combined, coupled with the fact i do want to be vocal in this year's presidential election, feel very strongly about, i'm campaigning for joe biden, i know that's not the pathway for political expediency in the state of mississippi."

Shelton believes he's learned a lot during the past seven years, especially during trying times.

The shooting death of sergeant gale stauffer in december 2013 and the april 2014 tornado are key events during his time in office.

As for the next eleven months, shelton says he and his team will work to continue the economic upswing that was in place before the covid 19 pandemic.

"the commercial and residential boom we're experiencing in tupelo , those additional ad valorem , or property taxes, is going to offset the loss of sales tax revenue for the immediate future."

The two-term mayor and his team are working on the 2021 budget, which will not include a tax increase and have a small surplus.

In tupelo, allie martin, wcbi news tag qualifying period for tupelo municipal elections starts in january.

The election takes place in june of 2021.