Paducah mayoral candidate Robert Coleman has announced he's dropping out of the race. Coleman cites ongoing health problems related to nerve surgery in April for the reason he's decided to withdraw.
"With the challenges that you face in the position of a city official, I realized that it would be better for our city and myself to withdraw," Coleman said.
As of 3 p.m. today, Coleman said he had not officially filed the paperwork to withdraw, but he says his decision is final.
Coleman was facing city commissioner Gayle Kaler for the mayor's seat. Coleman’s move leaves Kaler as the only candidate in the race for the seat currently held by Mayor Bill Paxton. She says despite the announcement she will continue to campaign.
“I don’t want to just be the mayor of default so to speak. I want people to vote for me in the coming election even though I’m the only one on the ballot because they truly believe I will be the person there to serve them and to be there for them and to do the best job for them," she said.
Kaler says she respects Coleman’s years of service and wishes him a speedy recovery. Coleman holds the record for longest-serving city commissioner, with 31 years of service. He says this was likely his last political race. He's happy to have served the city and is ready to retire.
