Raleigh mayor will seek re-election

Meeker made the formal announcement at 11 a.m. at his law offices of Parker, Poe, Adams & Bernstein, LLC, 150 Fayetteville St., Suite 1400.

Last month, Meeker said that the state of the local economy would determine whether he sought a fifth term as Raleigh's leader. After eight years as mayor, the Yale University graduate said he would be reluctant to move on if the economy continued to struggle.

He said his experience in leading the city through the downturn that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks could be beneficial to helping Raleigh recover from the current recession.

As mayor, the 58-year-old has been a strong advocate for downtown redevelopment and environmental issues.

During his tenure, Raleigh opened a new downtown convention center, reopened Fayetteville Street to traffic and underwent a boom in downtown condominium development.

He backed stiff water restrictions during the 2007-08 drought as Falls Lake shriveled to a series of streams amid an expanse of cracked, dry clay, and he has championed the city's effort to adopt energy-efficient lighting and hybrid vehicles.

He also pushed for higher impact fees from developers to help pay for Raleigh's growth and for limiting the size of homes built in the city's older neighborhoods.

Meeker, who ran unopposed in 2007, said he is not interested in any other public office.

"I won't be running for anything else," he said.