Fayetteville

Mayor Mike Wheat surprised onlookers last week by

announcing he will not seek reelection Nov. 2.

The

next day, City Councilman Kenneth Steele

announced he will seek to replace Wheat in the

mayor's chair. And since Steele is up for

reelection himself, that announcement leaves his

seat up for grabs.

In

qualifying this week, Steele has paid his

qualifying fee to run for mayor, and two

candidates have qualified to replace Steele in

City Council Post 1.

Bill

Talley, chairman of the city's Planning and

Zoning Commission, and Paul Carter, owner of

Fayette Family Billiards, have qualified.

Councilman

Glenn Brewer is the only candidate so far to

qualify for his Post 2 seat.

Qualifying

ends today at 4:30 p.m. The qualifying fee for

council is $180; for mayor it's $288.

Nov.

2 is election day. Voting times are 7 a.m. to 7

p.m. at the city depot, 240 Lanier Ave. If you

want to vote in the election, you must register

by 4:30 p.m. Oct. 4.

For

information phone 770-461-6029.

"I

am a strong believer in term limits and I feel I

must `walk the talk,' so my service as mayor will

end when my term ends in December," said

Wheat, reading a prepared statement during the

City Council's called meeting last week. He also

cited a desire to "spend more time on

business and family."

"The

city is in great hands because the staff's in

great shape," Wheat told The Citizen

following the meeting.

Wheat,

who has been mayor for nine years, left the door

open for future political ambitions, saying he

will probably run for some other office in the

future. "I'll be around, but I just won't be

mayor," he said.

In

his statement, Wheat thanked the city's staff,

businesses and residents for their support during

the last nine years, and urged continued support

for the new mayor, who will take office in

January.

<!--

-----------