CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Mayor Anthony Foxx, considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, said Friday he would not run for re-election, but he didn't indicate what he planned to do next.
Foxx was the public face of Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention last summer. He worked for more than a year helping promote the three-day event, which attracted 35,000 delegates, journalists and others to the state's largest city.
Foxx, 41, became this city's youngest and its second African-American mayor when he was elected in 2009 to his first two-year term after serving on the city council.
He will leave office in January. The father of two said he wasn't running again in part to spend more time with his family.
"My children, who were both born during my service, are getting older - and they still like hanging around with me. I do not want to be a father who looks back and wishes I had spent more time with them," Foxx said in a statement.
Michael Bitzer, a Catawba College political science professor, said Foxx will have numerous opportunities if he wants to continue his future in politics.
"He's relatively young and ... based on his comments so far, he wants to be with his children and be a normal father. But I can't help but think others have eyes on him for certainly higher office - if not a cabinet position," he said.
His spokeswoman said Foxx would be unavailable to talk about his decision on Friday. In his statement, he focused on his accomplishments.
Foxx said he was leaving Charlotte in better shape than it was in 2009. At the time, the city, a major financial center, had lost thousands of jobs because of the recession. During two-terms, Foxx pushed for expansion of light rail service and the creation of a streetcar line.
Foxx replaced Pat McCrory, a Republican, who was elected last year as governor of North Carolina.
• Read more articles by MITCH WEISS
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