Fast Facts:
But by the end of this week, he had changed his mind.
"The length, the shortness of the campaign. The head start that other candidates had on me, work to be done on the council, effect of the campaign on the family. Put all those things together and it just wasn't the right time for me to run for mayor of Memphis," said Strickland about his reason for deciding not to run.
It's a decision that Strickland says he made over several weeks. But "not now", doesn't mean "not ever". While not in 2009 or 2011, Strickland says a run for mayor is a definite possibility. For now, the one-term councilman thinks the huge pool of candidates will keep this race interesting.
"I want to see what the view points and the positions are for all the candidates. So far we haven't heard very much, because there officially is not an election yet," he added.
He says his mind is not made up on who he is voting for. After all, the mayor hasn't officially stepped down, or even written a resignation letter. Strickland says he is about 90 percent sure he will step down.
Strickland and the council declared a vacancy in the mayor's office by a slim 7-6 vote. A vote the mayor wasn't pleased with. Herenton says he reserves the right to not step down.
"Even when he criticized us, I think he reaffirmed he was leaving July 30th. You know, I can only control what I say, I can't control what other people say or even guess why they are saying it," said Strickland.
Strickland says he believes whoever wins the mayor's race will win with more than 50 percent of the vote.
Herenton is expected to resign this Thursday... July 30th. The special election to replace him is set for October 27th.
- Four days and counting until Mayor Willie Herenton says he will retire as mayor of Memphis.
- That means the race for his replacement is heating up.
- But one candidate took his horse out the race before it officially begun.
But by the end of this week, he had changed his mind.
"The length, the shortness of the campaign. The head start that other candidates had on me, work to be done on the council, effect of the campaign on the family. Put all those things together and it just wasn't the right time for me to run for mayor of Memphis," said Strickland about his reason for deciding not to run.
It's a decision that Strickland says he made over several weeks. But "not now", doesn't mean "not ever". While not in 2009 or 2011, Strickland says a run for mayor is a definite possibility. For now, the one-term councilman thinks the huge pool of candidates will keep this race interesting.
"I want to see what the view points and the positions are for all the candidates. So far we haven't heard very much, because there officially is not an election yet," he added.
He says his mind is not made up on who he is voting for. After all, the mayor hasn't officially stepped down, or even written a resignation letter. Strickland says he is about 90 percent sure he will step down.
Strickland and the council declared a vacancy in the mayor's office by a slim 7-6 vote. A vote the mayor wasn't pleased with. Herenton says he reserves the right to not step down.
"Even when he criticized us, I think he reaffirmed he was leaving July 30th. You know, I can only control what I say, I can't control what other people say or even guess why they are saying it," said Strickland.
Strickland says he believes whoever wins the mayor's race will win with more than 50 percent of the vote.
Herenton is expected to resign this Thursday... July 30th. The special election to replace him is set for October 27th.
