Third candidate jumps into Columbus mayor's race
Retired Army veteran Steven Kelly filed his intention to run for mayor with the local elections office. He's a 41-year-old stay-at-home dad and the father of a 2-year-old daughter.
'This is an amazing city, but there's room for improvement, everything from crime to infrastructure,' Kelly told WRBL. 'I think that there are things that need to be improved upon. Chief Stoney Mathis is doing an amazing job. I would like to work with him, and I would like to reach out to the community and actually engage with the community and get them to try to work with the police in a lot of ways.'
Former city manager Isaiah Hugley was fired two months ago by city council. He was just seven months shy of his retirement date.
Now, Hugley is running for mayor – and threatening a wrongful termination lawsuit against the seven city councilors who voted to fire him. Mark LaJoye retired from the military, has run for sheriff four times since 2012 – failing each time.
Hugley has not spoken to the media since his May 27 termination.
Mark LaJoye has also filed his intent to run for the vacant mayoral seat. Mayor Skip Henderson is term-limited after two terms. LaJoye has run unsuccessfully for sheriff four times since 2012.
'I think the fact that I'm a relative unknown does work in my favor,' Kelly said. 'I'm no different than any of the constituents and any of the members of the community. I'm just an average blue-collar working guy. But I see that there needs to be a change. I think that there's been a loss of morale, a loss of faith, and a lot of levels of the government leadership.'
Qualifying is in March of next year. The election is May 19, 2026. Right now, candidates are just filing intent to run forms that allow them to raise and spend campaign funds.
Other candidates are expected to enter the race. One of those is city councilor JoAnne Cogle. The District 7 councilor voted to fire Hugley.
Multiple sources have told WRBL she is telling people she plans to run. Prior to Tuesday's meeting, she said she had not made a decision to seek the mayor's job.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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