Camden mayor Dana Redd won’t seek 3rd term

CAMDEN  — Mayor Dana Redd announced on Wednesday that she won't be seeking a third term in office.

The 49-year-old Democrat announced her intentions in an event staged on the steps of city hall, saying it was time for her to "begin a new journey in my life."

The Camden native served on the City Council and was a state senator before she was first elected mayor in 2009.

During her time in office, Redd has overseen the dissolution of the Camden Police Department — which was replaced by a county regional force that patrols only Camden — and the start of a business development boom spurred by the Grow New Jersey program, which rewards employers who invest in struggling cities.

In a statement Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli thanked Redd for her "tireless energy and selfless sacrifices to the City of Camden over the last seven and a half years and two terms in office."

"The city and its residents have benefitted immeasurably under her inspired leadership, navigating it through crisis and shepherding it through unprecedented growth," he added.

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