Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal, who has been part of the city’s leadership since its inception 10 years ago, announced Thursday he will not run for reelection later this year.
Shortal, 75, served two terms on the City Council and as mayor since 2016. He is retiring and hopes to spend more time with his family, he announced at Dunwoody’s State of the City address. His term as mayor will be over at the end of 2019.
“It’s one of those things that I thought about a long time,” Shortal said. “I think maybe it’s just time.”
Shortal, who goes by “Denny,” became emotional as he spoke about his love for the city. Over the last decade, he has prioritized public works improvements and zoning code enforcement — issues he spoke about at length during his State of the City address.
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“I think we’ve come a long ways in 10 years. We’ve accomplished a lot of our objectives,” he said. “We’ve stayed true to our principles and ... the needs of our citizens. Is there still work to be done? Yes, there’s still work to be done.”
Shortal is a former Marine brigadier general with 32 years of military service. His family — three sons and five grandchildren — is spread out across the country, and he hopes to visit them more after retiring, he said.
At Large City Councilmember Terry Nall, currently in his second term, has said he will run for mayor in November’s election.
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