Westfield Mayor Andy Cook, who is in his 16th year in office, has announced he won’t seek a fifth term.
Cook, a Republican who was the city’s first mayor, will complete his term but won’t seek reelection this year.
“I’m in my 16th year as Mayor of the city that I love,” Cook stated in a media release. “I’ve been Westfield’s first and only Mayor as we have grown from a small farming community into a city of over 50,000, listed by national publications as one of the safest and most desirable places to live in America. I’m very proud of the progress that we’ve made, but we’ve got a good field of younger people, and it’s time for the next generation to lead Westfield into the future.”
During Cook’s time as mayor, Westfield experienced tremendous population growth and saw significant developments come to the city. He led the creation of the 400-plus-acre Grand Park Sports Campus, which has helped to attract $1.5 billion dollars in economic development, according to the release. He also led the charge for a downtown park to become the anchor for future growth.
Cook stated among his proudest accomplishments was creating the Westfield Youth Assistance Program in 2009. WYSP is an early intervention advocate for youth ages 3-17 who face challenging life circumstances. The program has helped reduce the number of kids entering the judicial system by half.
Scott Willis, Jake Gilbert and Kristen Burkman have previously announced their candidacies for mayor and are vying for the Republican nomination in the May 2 primary election.
