After serving eight years at the helm of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, Mayor Jack Loftis announced Thursday he would not seek re-election this fall.

The mayor indicated in a written statement that he had several reasons for his decision, some personal that he did not wish to discuss, and others more philosophical.

“I have not written previously regarding my belief in term limits, but have stated on several occasions that I do believe in reasonable term limits for all appointed and elected offices. ... I believe a two- or three-term limit for a mayor’s position should be appropriate,” he said Thursday in a written statement announcing his decision.

“I do not plan on filing and attempting to run for a third term in office as mayor of Mount Airy,” he said. “I pledge my support to the new mayor when elected and believe with a positive attitude our progress can continue in the greatest small city in the USA.”

Those serving on the board of commissioners said the mayor had not discussed his plans with them, other than informing them of his decision this week, but none expressed surprise Loftis was stepping down. They were unanimous in their praise for his work over the past eight years.

“I have a lot of respect for Jack,” said commissioner Todd Harris, who has served on the board for a decade. “He brought a great degree of professionalism to the office. He, first and foremost, always expressed his view, which is something you could easily have done otherwise. You could have fence-straddled and gotten by and pleased everyone, but Jack was always forthright with his opinion on the subject and it was always what he thought was in the best interest of the town and was not politically motivated in any way.”

“Mayor Loftis always wants to do the right thing, and that comes out of his sense of passion and conviction. I have found him to be an honorable man,” said Commissioner Jon Cawley, a 10-month member of the board. “I thought that he always had an interest for the person in a position of weakness, which I think is a very good quality in that position.”

“Jack has kept regular office hours at city hall, he’s been in his office almost every day, and that has made the city’s job a lot easier because he was accessible to the people,” said Commissioner David Beal, who has served 10 years on the board. “I think his finest achievements will include leading the city through annexation, pushing forward on the construction of public restrooms downtown, and being a leader in the creating of a recreation department for the city of Mount Airy.”

Commissioner Deborah Cochran, who has served on the board for a year-and-a-half, said she has always considered the mayor a “thoughtful” man and she expressed admiration for the time he put into the job working for the city.

“I know as a commissioner we receive so many calls, and they are minimal compared to the mayor’s office.”

“I’ve known the mayor for 30 years, and we’ve been a friend of his family all that time,” said Commissioner Dean Brown, who also has served a year-and-a-half. “He’s certainly a fine gentlemen. He’s worked very hard at being a fine mayor and I think he’ll leave his mark on the city’s history.”

Perhaps the highest praise came from City Manager Don Brookshire, who has spent much of his adult life working for municipal governments.

“The last eight years working with Jack have certainly been a very pleasant experience, and the leadership he brought to the city I think was exceptional,” Brookshire said. “I hate to see him go. He always was honest with me and I think with everyone he spoke with. We had our difference of opinions from time to time, but in the end he was certainly the kind of person who would sit down with you and work out any differences that you may have.

“He is one of the, not one of, but probably the best mayor I’ve worked with in all my years of local government, in terms of his commitment to the public and the public good.”

Brookshire said he believes the mayor’s longest-lasting legacy is his work in bringing the Cross Creek area into the city via annexation.

“That was a significant event and Jack was a strong leader during that time,” Brookshire said. The city manager said there wasn’t any one aspect of that process which stands out.

“It was the whole process, from start to finish, his involvement, and really the whole board, but Jack was the mayor during that time, and that going on about the same time was the acquisition of the Reeves Community Center.”

For his part, Loftis said he believes the city has laid a strong foundation for the future over the past few years, and he gave credit for what the city has accomplished to those he worked with on the commission and in the city,

“The last almost eight years have seen many challenges and opportunities and with all the difficulties and problems our elected board and managers have had to deal with, I still believe significant progress has been made for the future growth and expansion of Mount Airy,” he said in his statement.

“I have been truly blessed with being able to work with some great commissioners, a great city manager, a great group of dedicated employees; and many key leaders and volunteers throughout our community. We should all be thankful as a city to have leaders and citizens willing to put personal interests in the background and make the tough decisions that will be in the best interests for all our citizens.

“Sure there are always a few very negative voices around making some noise, without any positive suggestions or comments, but concerned citizens see quickly they are just wind without any substance and they get ignored.”

The mayor said he has always tried to act in the best interest of the city.

“An elected leader will very seldom, and probably never, make decisions that will be pleasing for everyone because we all have varied interests and goals in life. We simply have to consider all factors as we can understand them and do what we believe is right for the majority of citizens we are elected to represent. I have always attempted to do only what I believed was right while serving as your mayor.”

He also said he will continue working as he has until his term expires, and he will do what he can to make the transition to a new mayor an easy one.

“We do still have an unending list of issues that require our dedicated study and some tough decisions so we really need to work hard over the next six months and I look forward to doing just that with the help and support of the current board and staff ... I will continue to serve with God’s help and blessings the remaining months of my second term and will continue our emphasis with a positive attitude on growth that will be in the best interest of all of our citizens.”