Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Carson City Mayor Marv Teixeira announces Thursday that he will not seek another term in office.
Marv Teixeira, the three-term mayor of Carson City, will leave office at the end of the year.
He called the job an "honor and pleasure," but the longest-serving mayor since the city was incorporated with Ormsby County said Thursday he will not enter this year's race.
"I believe it's in the best interest of everyone, including myself and including the community to say, 'Hey, thanks a lot. It's just absolutely been a pleasure. Have a good day.'"
Teixeira, 73, said he wants to spend more time with his family and "it's time" to leave office.
"I think most people, to be honest with you, would say, 'You know what, you old (man), get the hell out of the way, get down the road. You've done your job. It's time for a change of pace.'"
He named work on the Carson City freeway, attracting businesses such as the Sierra Gold hotel-casino and lobbying to let the city keep a bigger cut of its sales tax as projects he was proud of.
Teixeira served his first two terms from 1989 to 1996, retired and then beat two-term Mayor Ray Masayko in 2004.
In the past year, however, Teixeira has received some of the strongest criticism from the public for his drunken driving arrest and November ballot initiative to give another $10 million to the V&T Railway through a sales tax increase.
He said he will have more time and energy to promote the initiative by not running for office.
"I want to walk out of this office," said Teixeira. "I don't want to be carried out feet first."
Bill Reeves, Teixeira's opponent in the 1988 election, recalled that their race was close but stayed friendly.
"Both men wanted what was best for Carson City," Reeves said, "but the approach was different. My approach would have been to go and have some power breakfasts in the morning with some of the legislators, do some lobbying and all that. Marv's idea of lobbying was over at the Old Globe (Saloon)."
Teixeira also did lobbying, particularly to get millions of dollars in federal grants for the V&T Railway through Sen. Harry Reid.
"He is one of the most practical people I know and understands the needs of the people living in Carson City better than anyone," Reid said in statement. "I just can't say enough good things about him."
Teixeira upset a lot of people with his arrest, said former Supervisor Janice Ayers, but not having him as mayor is a "big loss."
"We've all done what Marv has done at one time or another," she said. "I don't understand this holier-than-thou attitude."
Teixeira worked with staff in his first few terms to turn around the city's budget, get needed water rights and bring business to the city, said Kay Bennett, a supervisor at the time.
She called him a "great gift" to the city despite public criticism.
"You know I've never taken the safe route on anything and I never will," Teixeira said. "That's who I am."
• Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.