With a tremble in his voice, Great Bend Mayor Mike Allison Monday night announced to the City Council and the public he would not seek reelection come November. He has been mayor since 1999.

“After 18 years, it’s time,” he said. “There are other things I want to be doing in my life.”

The decision did not come easy for Allison, who has been a dentist in Great Bend since 1969. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

He also thanked the community. “I hope I did them a good service. I did my level best to make Great Bend a better place to live.”

In addition he said he valued the support of all the council member’s he’s worked with over the years, as well as all the city staff and employees. “I appreciated all of their guidance. It made my job a lot easier.”

“You’ve done a great job as mayor,” Great Bend Chamber of Commerce President Jan Peters said.

“He’s done a lot of good things for the city,” City Administrator Howard Partington said.

Allison is currently in his ninth two-year term which would have expired this April. But the Kansas Legislature in 2015 moved the dates cities hold their elections from April to November so, he will be in office through this fall. 

The mayor’s seat will appear on the November city ballot with three council seats, those held by Mike Boys in the First Ward, Wayne Henneke in the Second Ward and Allene Owen in the Third Ward. 

The deadline to file for these positions is noon June 1 and must be done at the Barton County Clerk’s Office. The filing fee is now $20. A candidate may also file via a petition with five qualifying signatures.