Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines will not run for governor, he said Monday, because he wants to continue working to rebuild Winston-Salem's economy.
Joines, a Democrat who is in his third term as mayor, last week floated the idea of running in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in May. The Democratic nomination field opened Thursday when Gov. Bev Perdue said she would not seek re-election.
"The more I thought about it, and in talking with some of my leadership group — we've got so many exciting things on the drawing board here, really catalytic projects that I just want to be a part of," Joines said. "I just couldn't really get comfortable with the idea of leaving it."
A number of other prominent North Carolina Democrats have said they will run for the Democratic nomination, including Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and state Rep. Bill Faison, who represents Orange and Caswell counties. The front-runner for the Republican nomination is former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.
Joines, who has wide bipartisan support in Winston-Salem, is not as well-known across the state. Had he run for the nomination, political observers said last week, he would have had to raise a significant amount of money to buy advertisements and name recognition outside Forsyth County.
Joines said waging a campaign for governor would have been daunting.
"It's a major undertaking at this stage of the game for any candidate to raise money and be prepared for a primary in May," he said.
But, he said, a bigger consideration was the success he has had in Winston-Salem. Joines said he plans to run for re-election in 2013 and is committed to building Winston-Salem's economy.
City council member Molly Leight, who represents the South Ward, said she is happy that Joines will remain as mayor. "He is such a boon for the city as far as his ability to recruit businesses."
Joines is particularly focused on nurturing the Piedmont Triad Research Park.
"We've got a good push on that already," he said of the research park. "And we're working with the Piedmont Triad Partnership to create a megasite to recruit an auto-manufacturing facility."
The partnership has been trying to piece together a 2,400-acre megasite near Lexington in Davidson County for an auto plant.
Joines said when he weighed the cost of running with the success he has had here, he ruled out a gubernatorial campaign.
"There are a number of exciting and potentially transformational projects and programs that we are working on," Joines said. "And I want to be a part of their implementation."
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