DECATUR, Ala. — UPDATE: On Tuesday, a citizen of Decatur launched a petition calling for Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling to resign immediately; just one day after he announced he will not be seeking re-election.
"Our mayor is failing to uphold his duty to ensure justice and safety for all residents. His lack of response to this tragic event is unacceptable and demonstrates a disregard for his constituents' concerns." the citizen wrote in their petition, "We demand that our mayor resigns effective immediately so that someone more capable can step up to lead us towards justice and safety for all citizens."
The petition reached close to 100 signatures within an hour of being published.
Previous Story: Decatur's mayor, Tab Bowling, announced at Monday's City Council work session that he will not seek another term in office. Bowling will officially leave office at the conclusion of his current term.
There was a smattering of applause when he first revealed his decision. "I'll serve the next two years for this wonderful city. We have a lot of opportunities ahead of us, and I know we have some things we need to address."
He was elected to the position in 2016 and was reelected in 2020. Bowling said he made his decision approximately three weeks ago.
"In 2025, ya'll are good at math, I'll be 65 years old," Bowling said during his address to the assembled crowd. "I don't have any desire to get out and campaign."
Bowling has been a resident of Decatur for more than 50 years, and before city leadership spent three decades working in the industrial wholesale distribution industry and was an account representative for Hagemeyer North America.
At the conclusion of his announcement, the council moved immediately to the regular session's public comment portion, where many people had signed up to continue expressing their opinions regarding the recent officer-involved shooting death of Steve Perkins.