Is Darrell Clarke Running for Mayor?

Darrell Clarke

When Alan Butkovitz (kind of) exited the mayoral race last week, it was widely taken as a sign he was clearing the way for Council President Darrell Clarke to make a run. But Clarke’s interview with the Inquirer, published Sunday, doesn’t make him sound like a man burning to run for the city’s top spot.

“I like being Council president. I like my colleagues. I really enjoy the environment around here,” he said. “You can see that most of the votes tend to be unanimous or close to that. It is obvious that we have established a camaraderie in City Council.

“. . . I certainly have aspirations as to what I want to see for the city. . . . I don’t think it is so important to be mayor. I think it is important to push that agenda.”

So does that mean he won’t run?

“I don’t know what I ultimately will do,” he said.

Candidates so far include Lynne Abraham, Terry Gillen, Ken Trujillo, and Anthony Hardy Williams. Doug Oliver has set up an exploratory committee, Dwight Evans has said he’s contemplating a run, Nelson Diaz is said to be exploring a run, Milton Street is being Milton Street, and frequent mayoral flyer Sam Katz hasn’t ruled out a run as an independent in the general election.