Former City Manager Isaiah Hugley officially kicked off his campaign for mayor in front of a rowdy crowd of local dignitaries. Past and present elected officials were there including Congressman Sanford Bishop and former mayor Teresa Tomlinson among many others.
“This is more than a campaign,” Hugley said. “It’s a commitment to finish the work, restore trust, and lead this city forward, not with slogans, but with experience and results. Columbus doesn’t need on-the-job training. It needs leadership that knows how to get things done.”
Hugley reminded the crowd that he was born dirt poor without indoor plumbing and grew up in public housing on welfare. “That’s where I learned that leadership doesn’t start at the top, it starts by listening…and never forgetting where I came from,” he said. Later in his speech he took a direct swipe at City Council and their recent homeless ordinance saying he would be a leader that would know how to deal with homelessness and not by putting them in jail.
Hugley also emphasized his belief that the next chapter of Columbus must be written by a mayor who brings people together. “We are not divided. We are destined, destined to rise above the noise and ask not what is broken, but what is possible. I’ve spent a lifetime preparing to lead this city, and I’m ready to do it with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to every resident, in every neighborhood,” he said.
Isaiah Hugley spent 41 years working for the city of Columbus, including more than 20 as City Manager before he was fired by city council in May. Hugley is set to begin a listening tour of Columbus neighborhoods this month.
