A candidate for the mayorship of Perry has appeared. At the recent City Council meeting John Andorf declared his intentions of running for the office.

Current Mayor of Perry Jay Pattee has made it clear he will not be running for reelection this year, leaving the position up for grabs. However, Pattee said the City of Perry has historically had difficulties finding candidates. He said he believed any of the current Council members would make a great mayor, and with Andorf declaring his intentions, Pattee will have a chance to be proven right.

Andorf explained his decision at the meeting. “After our last Council meeting, when we talked about needing candidates for mayor and Council, I gave it some considerable thought and tomorrow (Wednesday) I’m going to Adel, I’m happy to say, to turn in my nomination forms for mayor. You know, I’ve had the privilege and honor of working for the citizens of Perry and working with the fine group of fellow council people, as well as employees of the City of Perry for the last four years, and without that experience, I don’t think I would have run for mayor.”

Andorf is finishing his first term on the Council and was up for reelection for his at-large seat. That seat will now be filled by someone new to the Council, giving what Pattee feels is some much-needed new blood. No one else has publicly declared their candidacy for the Perry mayoral election, though anyone interested in that, the at-large, or the ward two Council seats has until Thursday, September 21st at 5 p.m. to submit their nomination forms.

In Perry, the term of office for mayor is two years and the Council terms are four years. The signatures of at least 25 eligible electors are required on nomination petitions. Packets can be picked up at the office of the city clerk, the Dallas County Auditor’s Office, or the Iowa Secretary of State’s website. Completed packets must be turned in to the auditor’s office, not the city clerk.