PROVO -- Provo Mayor Lewis Billings will not be seeking a fourth term, despite earlier declarations that he was "seriously leaning" toward another run.

Billings made the announcement on Monday after making a decision 10 days ago. The news was so fresh Monday afternoon that many department heads asked for comment were unaware Billings had decided not to run.

Billings would have faced multiple challengers in the fall, including John Curtis, co-owner of Action Target, which manufactures firing range equipment, and Rep. Steve Clark, R-Provo. Both men have announced their intention to run ahead of the filing window, which is open from July 1-15 at the City Recorder's Office.

Don Allphin, chairman of the city's Lakeview North neighborhood, also has said he's considering a run.

"It's big news," Curtis said. "It's huge news. Lewis has been such a dominant part of Provo politics for so long."

The hole left in the race could spark more candidates.

"With this announcement it wouldn't surprise me to see people interested in running stepping forward," Curtis said.

Billings said that he would encourage specific people to run but wouldn't name any on Monday.

"There are giants in our city in so many places," he said.

The mayor had gotten so far into the re-election process as to come up with a theme and a plan to execute the campaign. The fact that he's gone come January 2010 is probably best, said Councilwoman Midge Johnson.

"I know there are a lot of council members who are really at odds with him," said Johnson, who adds that she is not one of those members.

She said Billings's personality is probably what causes tension, as opposed to the work he's done for the city. A department head recently told her that Billings was the best mayor the city ever had but also the hardest to work for.

"He's a killer to work for, because he's so driven," Johnson said.

The friction between Billings and some members of the council culminated recently in the hiring of a $100,000-a-year (salary and benefits) fiscal policy analyst instead of the council relying on the city's Finance Department.

"I don't blame just him," said Johnson of the hiring. "There's a war going on and unfortunately some of us who don't have a beef in it are caught in the middle."

Billings was first elected mayor in November 1997 and masterminded the construction of the $40 million iProvo fiber-optic project in 2004. While mostly delivering on promises of high-speed Internet, video and phone services, the project also lost millions of dollars after completion and was eventually sold to Broadweave Networks last year.

He's also credited with helping bring in Duncan Aviation, securing funding for the airport control tower and shepherding through the plans for the Wells Fargo and Zions Bank towers downtown.

By the end of this term, he will be the second-longest-serving Provo mayor behind only Abraham O. Smoot, who served 14 years in the 1800s.

Related

• Filing opens for municipal elections
• Local candidates file for upcoming election