Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland not running again

CLEVELAND, Tennessee (WDEF) The longest serving mayor in Tennessee is stepping down.

Mayor Tom Rowland announced this morning that he will not seek re-election in Cleveland.

Rowland is instead pledging his support to friend and political colleague, State Rep. Kevin Brooks.

Brooks, in turn, has announced he will be giving up his District 24 Tennessee House of Representatives’ seat to campaign for the post of Mayor of Cleveland.

He is currently the Tennessee Assistant Majority Leader in the House.

Tom Rowland has been mayor of Cleveland for 27 years.

The city has seen phenomenal growth over that period.

In 1991, when Rowland took office, the population was 28,000 in the city.

They hope to hit 50,000 in the 2020 Census, which would make Cleveland about a third the size of Chattanooga.

That population boom comes with one of the best industrial and commercial expansions in the state.

The mayor recapped the goals he set for the city back in 1991, most of which have been met.

Here is a look at a few of them: