Aurora mayor won't seek re-election in 2017

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner said he will not seek re-election for a fourth term in 2017.

Weisner, who has battled colon cancer on and off for the last eight years, said his health contributed somewhat to his decision.

"That kind of makes you think about things a little bit," Weisner said. "It changed my perspective in the sense that you never know how long you are going to be around in this world."

Aside from his health, Weisner said the main reason he is not seeking re-election is because of his age. He will be 67 at the end of his current term.

"It is a juncture where you think about what you'd like to do," Weisner said, citing teaching, traveling and spending time with his grandkids as examples.

He said people have been asking him if he was going to seek re-election in 2017 since he won his third term in 2013, and now that the 2015 elections were over, it seemed like a good time to let people know.

Weisner said he thinks Aurora has made significant progress during his time in office in reducing crime, improving sustainability and working on educational advances in the city's several school districts.

He said there are things he'd like to accomplish during his remaining two years in office, including implementing a career training program for teens who do not intend to go to a four-year college.

"We have manufacturing employers in the area who can't find people to fill spots on their floor," Weisner said.

Weisner was first elected to Aurora's top office in 2005, won re-election in 2009 and went unopposed in 2013.