NJ Mayor Who Poked Fun at "Guidos" Will Not Run Again
Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 | Updated 6:45 AM EST
AP
Belmar, New Jersey mayor Ken Pringle said he will not seek another term in office after 20 years.
The Jersey Shore mayor whose blog offended Italian-Americans, Staten Island residents and blondes is calling it quits.
"This has not been an easy decision for me," Ken Pringle wrote in a letter to his Belmar constituents. "There is still so much I want to do."
Pringle won't seek re-election in November after 20 years in office.
Pringle says he was not asked by Democratic Party bosses to step down because of his "tongue-in-cheek'' comments about summer
visitors in 2008.
Pringle portrayed Staten Island women as heavily hair-sprayed blondes holding drinks and called men "guidos.''
To make amends, the mayor participated in a daylong tour of the New York City borough.
During his tenure in Belmar, Pringle ushered a 2001 ban on smoking on borough beaches.
"I think he's dedicated his heart and soul to Belmar," Borough Council President Matthew Doherty told the Asbury Park Press.
He also took steps to transform the small shore community from a summer party town to a family destination.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia
Posted Wednesday, Mar 10, 2010 - 6:22 AM EST
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