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OGDEN — One of Ogden's longest-serving mayors in history is stepping down at the end of his term.
Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell announced Friday that he will not seek a fourth term this November, meaning that he will leave office after 12 years at the helm of the 172-year-old city.
"I have enjoyed my time as an elected official in Ogden and appreciate everyone who has trusted and supported me as a leader in this city. I am now ready to move on to new challenges and opportunities," he said in a statement. "It has truly been an honor and a privilege to represent the people of this wonderful community and to have realized so many positive outcomes during this time."
Caldwell took over as the city's 38th mayor in 2012 after winning the 2011 election over then-city Councilman Brandon Stephenson to replace Matthew Godfrey, who had also spent three terms in office.
By the end of Caldwell's term, he will tie Godfrey for second on the list of longest-serving Ogden mayors behind its first mayor, Lorin Farr, who served as the mayor from 1851 to 1870 and briefly again from 1877 through 1878.
Caldwell's tenure has been filled with pushing along economic development projects for the city, which dropped slightly to eighth on the list of Utah's most-populated cities at the time of the 2020 Census. Some of the city's more recent projects include the Ogden Express, a bus rapid transit system scheduled to be completed this year.
"Together, we have achieved unprecedented economic growth, improved hundreds of millions in infrastructure, managed a pandemic and found ourselves in the national spotlight for 'best places to' in nearly every category," he added Friday.
The field to replace Caldwell is already growing. Among those is Ogden city planning commissioner Angel Castillo, who announced in January that she would seek to become both the city's first woman and Latino mayor. Taylor Knuth, an Ogden community advocate and deputy director of economic development in Salt Lake City, is also vying for the job.
The county's primary election is scheduled for Aug. 15 before the general election on Nov. 7.
