National City Mayor Ron Morrison announced over the weekend that he will not seek re-election in November, bringing a close to 34 years in city government.
Morrison, 76, served as National City's mayor for 16 of the last 20 years, in addition to 18 years spent on the City Council.
"Like anything, there's times for things to come to an end," Morrison told reporters during a news conference.
Morrison departs at a time when the city faces a major budget deficit, prompting City Manager Doug Schulze to say during a council meeting last week that the city potentially faces insolvency by 2030.
Morrison acknowledged the city's shaky fiscal position, saying the city would have "to make some serious cuts" and that he would be involved in addressing the budgetary woes in his last few months in office.
"We're going to have to deal with this budget like you would not believe. We cannot wait another year to touch it," he said.
During the press conference, Mayor Morrison endorsed several candidates running in the upcoming election, including Marcus Bush, who is running for Mayor.
“We don't agree on a lot of different issues, and we've absolutely butted heads before, but one thing I appreciate that he said, because we do have a lot of challenges in the community … It's not about whether you're Republican, Democrat, or what your political philosophy is, but it's whether you love the community,” Bush said.
Councilman Jose Rodriguez, who ran against Morrison for the mayor's seat in 2022, will also be running for mayor this fall.
"Mayor Morrison and I did not always agree, but I respect his many years of service and his commitment to National City," Rodriguez said in a statement. "Now it's time to talk about National City's next chapter and the new leadership our community urgently needs."
As a result of Morrison's announcement, the nomination filing period for candidates for mayor has been extended until 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
