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Ogden • Flanked by department heads and his wife, Monica, Mayor Matthew Godfrey announced Thursday that he will not seek a fourth term.
Sworn in at the age of 29, Godfrey will finish his third term in office in December.
"I was 28 years old when I went home and talked to Monica and said, 'What if I run for the mayor of Ogden?' " Godfrey said, noting that "she was very shocked by that."
The four years Godfrey expected to spend as mayor stretched into 12 as he pursued an aggressive agenda to bring 2,000 jobs and 2,000 residents to Ogden's then forlorn downtown.
"Our first goal was to rebrand Ogden," Godfrey said. "It was this old railroad town that had lost its identity and we thought it could be something more than that."
Godfrey has vigorously pushed Ogden as an outdoor high-adventure recreation area, a vision that attracted ski companies, national publicity and hometown controversy.
Under his watch, 107 acres of downtown redevelopment have been completed, with 91 more under way — almost doubling his administration's goal of bringing 2,000 jobs downtown, Godfrey said.
Among events that the city has attracted, Ogden now has its own marathon each spring, one that Godfrey said began as "a pretty sorry event" but matured to become one of the top 10 ranked marathons in the country.
"I don't think I'm needed here anymore," Godfrey said. "It's time for me to move on to new adventures."
So far, three people have registered personal campaign committees to run for mayor — Weber County Public Information Officer Mike Caldwell, Johnny Ballard — Ogden's project manager for the Riverfront redevelopment area — and City Councilman Brandon Stephenson.
Former Rep. Neil Hansen, a frequent critic of Godfrey's methods and authoritarian style, said Thursday that he is considering entering the race.
"I think the city is better off in some aspects but worse off in others," Hansen said, citing the city's redevelopment debt as a negative.
Robert Hunter, who heads up the United Way of Northern Utah, lost the mayoral race to Godfrey in 1999 and said he immediately threw his support behind the political neophyte.
"I'm one of his fans," Hunter said. "He's been a good mayor and Ogden has made a lot of progress."
Godfrey said Thursday that he has no plans to endorse a candidate and he also does not know what his personal future holds in terms of private-sector employment.
"Fry cook, dog catcher, street sweeper — you know, anything I'm qualified for," Godfrey quipped of what might lie ahead.
The period to file for mayor or open council seats opens July 1 and ends July 15.