City Council member Ted Tedesco has announced he will run for mayor of Ames.

“I believe that it’s time for new leadership, and I hope to play a constructive role in the community as mayor,” Tedesco says.

Tedesco, 60, is the president of Knapp-Tedesco Insurance Agency in Ames. He serves in a variety of community-service positions, including the Board of Directors of the Story County Cyclone Club, along with his four years on the City Council.

Tedesco is also president of the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau, which was responsible for last weekend’s Ginkgo Festival. Previously, he was president of both the Chamber of Commerce and the Ames Jaycees.

In 1965, he was voted “Outstanding Young Man in Ames,” and in 1993 Tedesco was named the “Nordike Small Business Person of the Year.”

Tedesco has lived in Ames since 1954 and attended what was then Iowa State College, majoring in Dairy Husbandry. His plans changed after a few years when he took on a job selling insurance, which he has been doing ever since.

“Just as Iowa State is a number-one land-grant university, Ames should be a number-one land-grant community,” Tedesco said. “Ames is a great place to raise children, and we should work so that they will want to be employed here and raise their own children in this city.”

Tedesco has been married almost 40 years to his wife, Joanne. They have two daughters and three grandsons.

“I will strive to make this city more user-friendly and give the people access to the city government,” Tedesco said.

His plans for improvement include opening the mayor’s office for half a day each week. This time will be for the public to come in and voice their opinions and concerns directly to the city politicians. Presently, the salary for the position is $6000.

“I hope to work with the people of Ames and surrounding communities to achieve common goals,” Tedesco said. “Ames is a city of opportunity.”

The present mayor of Ames, Larry Curtis, will announce whether he will run for reelection at a press conference on Monday.

This year’s mayoral election will be held Nov. 4.