Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne announced Thursday she would not run for re-election in May after serving two three-year terms.
Van Duyne said she will focus on national issues with more details to come soon.
“While I am looking forward to new opportunities to serve our nation, I will never forget you and the remarkable achievements we made, working together, on behalf of our great city,” Van Duyne said on her Facebook page.
Two challengers who filed already were prepared to campaign against Van Duyne.
Irving native and business owner David Pfaff said Van Duyne promoted division in the diverse city.
“The divisiveness doesn’t really need to be happening here in Irving,” Pfaff said. “The founding fathers had a great message to us; 'come here, work hard, love the country and that’s what we have in this city already.”
Public relations executive Elvia Espino moved to Irving three years ago from Houston, but said Van Duyne was also an Irving transplant, from New York state.
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Espino said 11,000 Irving Hispanics voted in the November election and she hopes to rally them as Irving’s first Latina mayoral candidate.
“This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is a people issue. And I believe that the country is divided enough,” Espino said. “I want to bring Irving back together again.”
Irving's population is about 40 percent Hispanic.
Two other candidates are rumored to be considering Irving mayoral campaigns before Friday’s 5 p.m. filing deadline.
