DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — Decatur City Councilman Hunter Pepper has announced he is not running for mayor after all and seemingly signaled he might be ending his career in public service.
In a now-deleted post on his re-election Facebook page on Tuesday, Pepper posted a picture of a “mayoral candidate packet” along with an announcement that he will be entering Decatur’s Mayoral race.
However, roughly an hour later, Pepper announced he had withdrawn his candidacy.
“Today, I qualified for mayor to prove a point. Anyone with $50 (or for free) can walk into a clerk’s office, “qualify” for mayor, and get 15 minutes of fame,” The councilman said. “Do. Your. Research. Choose a candidate who is going to continue to make our city prosperous and a better place. Our city needs leadership that I do not have the ability or knowledge to give.
The abortive announcement comes just two weeks after the councilman announced he would be running for re-election as the councilman from Decatur District 4.
In 2020, Pepper won the Decatur City Council District 4 race by 36 votes, beating out incumbent councilman Charles Kirby, who held the seat for two terms.
Pepper also said Tuesday that it had been an honor to serve on the city council in a statement that alludes to the fact that this could mark the end of his time in public service.
“Late nights and early mornings, together we worked to make Decatur a greater place to live, but I feel as if my time in municipal government has come to an end,” He said. “I have faith that District 4 will be represented well and that the city of Decatur as a whole will have great representation.”
The next City election for the office of Mayor and for five City Council positions will be held on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. A run-off election, if necessary, will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
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