Petelos decides not to make 2010 governor run

Published 9:36 am Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos won’t aim for the statehouse in 2010 after all.

After the Monday Hoover City Council meeting, Petelos announced he was taking his name out of the race for the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination.

“It was a personal decision. It was a family decision. We just decided at this time it was not a good time for me to run for governor,” Petelos said in a phone interview. “I’ve been in a lot of elections, and I enjoy campaigning. I was looking forward to campaigning throughout Alabama, but the prospect of raising millions of dollars did not appeal to me.”

Petelos didn’t close the door on a possible future run for governor.

“I’m going to keep my doors open, but I know my name will not appear on the ballot in 2010 for any position,” he said.

However, Petelos said he was thankful for those who encouraged him to run.

“Last week at the Regions Charity Classic, I had so many people who stopped me and encouraged me to run,” he said. “It was very heartwarming, and I appreciate all those people who encouraged me to run and go after it.”