Overview
- Rhodes-Conway announced on Friday that she will not run for reelection in April, saying the personal cost of office — including threats to her, her staff and her family — has become too high.
- She framed her decision as a reaction to a sharp decline in civic civility, citing explicit and implicit sexism and increased harassment that she says is driving people away from public service.
- Her letter highlighted policy achievements from her more than seven years as mayor, including Bus Rapid Transit, about 19,000 new homes built, the CARES mental-health diversion program, traffic-safety investments, and raising the city's renewable energy use to 83 percent.
- The announcement follows recent local conflicts, such as a tense Common Council meeting that ended with the termination of the interim independent police monitor and months of criticism over the city’s response to the July police shooting of Corey Ruiz and the related downtown encampment.
- Her withdrawal opens a competitive April mayoral race that already includes multiple declared candidates and will likely reshape Madison politics and debates over public safety, housing and civic tone.