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# Genrich Won't Seek a Third Term, Opening Green Bay's 2027 Mayor Race
- URL: https://foxwatershed.com/genrich-not-running-third-term-green-bay-mayor/
- Published: 2026-10-05T12:00:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-05T12:00:36.000Z
- Description: Mayor Eric Genrich will leave City Hall in April after eight years, leaving former Mayor Jim Schmitt as the only declared candidate and a council president and a state lawmaker in the wings.
- Author: Fox Watershed Staff
- Tags: Green Bay, Local Politics, Green Bay Common Council

Green Bay will have a new mayor next spring. Mayor Eric Genrich said Thursday he won't run for a third term, ending his tenure in April and leaving former Mayor Jim Schmitt as the only declared candidate for the April 6 election.1,2 Genrich announced the decision in a video and written statement without giving a reason, and he turned down interview requests.3,2,4

“This chapter with me as your Mayor will come to an end in April,” Genrich said, calling it a change in roles.2 He pledged to serve out the more than six months left in his term.1 The decision closes a question he'd left open since at least May 2025\. As recently as an Aug. 13 campaign stop with Democratic governor candidate David Crowley, he said he hadn't decided.4

## Two Wins and a Housing Push

Genrich, a Democrat, held the 90th Assembly District seat in Madison from 2013 to 2019.3,4 He came out of an eight-candidate primary in 2019, after Schmitt didn't seek a fifth term, and beat Brown County Board member Patrick Buckley with 57.6% of the vote.2,4 He won again in 2023 with about 53% against Brown County Administrator Chad Weininger.4

Housing is the record he's leaning on. In his statement he said the city has produced new homes “at a clip not seen in decades” and sped up infrastructure repairs.2 The city has directly supported more than 1,700 housing units in five years, a mix of workforce and luxury apartments.4 Genrich also backed the 2025 rewrite of the city's zoning code, its largest overhaul, pitched as an affordability measure, and pushed for Green Bay's first community land trust to help families buy homes.4

Green Bay raised the Pride flag for the first time in 2022 and earned a perfect Municipal Equality Index score in 2024.4 The city opened its first Office of Violence Prevention during the pandemic-era rise in gun violence, then closed it in 2025.4 At a Sept. 14 news conference, Genrich defended the city's Flock license plate reader cameras as constitutional and effective, calling them a core part of public safety.4 That put Green Bay on the other side of the question from Menasha, which moved to drop Flock in September.

[Menasha Pulls the Plug on Flock, Neenah Looks Ready to FollowMayor Austin Hammond ordered every Flock license plate reader in the city covered by the end of the day, then said he’ll ask the city council to kill the contract outright at a meeting later this month.¹ He blamed privacy, saying there’s a real concern over “how the![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/icon/transparent-5-c5e1d2d7-d686-4da5-857b-0d2a64210b2b.png)Fox WatershedEthan Rouse![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/thumbnail/Menasha_town_Townhall-1-1-007aaf62-48f1-4eb3-a55e-24db04d4696b.jpg)](https://foxwatershed.com/menasha-pulls-the-plug-on-flock-neenah-looks-ready-to-follow/)

## The Fights Along the Way

His tenure drew fire from the right early. Republicans criticized the city's use of a consultant with past Democratic ties during the 2020 election, and attorney Michael Gableman, investigating claims of voter fraud, threatened to jail Genrich.4 Audio recorders installed at City Hall in 2021 and 2022 led to a lawsuit that was settled out of court. A separate federal suit by former council member Chris Wery, alleging Genrich had a personal motive for the recordings, is still pending, and Genrich has denied it.4 Special prosecutors declined to recommend criminal charges.4

Celestine Jeffreys, Genrich's former chief of staff whom he appointed city clerk in 2021, resigned in August over a state elections commission investigation into two cases of duplicated absentee ballots.4 The city's long-stalled riverfront deal with Merge also landed on his watch, a fight Fox Watershed has covered.

[Merge Urban Development Group Counter-sues CityGreen Bay’s Shipyard project has the previous developer pointing fingers at the city for delays.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/icon/transparent-5-02fc32cc-12c4-4db6-9d9b-716ee4a65ab0.png)Fox WatershedEthan Rouse![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/thumbnail/Green_Bay_July_2024_089_-Green_Bay_City_Hall---1--ffcfdf83-3bb9-4962-9ef3-ef6947b43923.jpg)](https://foxwatershed.com/merge-urban-development-group-counter-sues-city/)

## Who's Running

Schmitt, mayor from 2003 to 2019, launched his comeback bid in August at CityDeck's Shopko Landing.5 Genrich answered on X at the time, criticizing Schmitt's record and raising his past campaign finance violations.5 Schmitt pleaded guilty in 2016 to misdemeanor charges after accepting contributions over legal limits and wrongly attributing others.3 Asked about Genrich's exit, Schmitt said the job is tough, guessed the decision was personal and family-driven, and wished him well.2,6 Schmitt helped bring the city's term limits, which cap mayors and alders at 12 consecutive years.2

Common Council President Alyssa Proffitt said Thursday night she's “strongly considering a run,” citing outreach from neighbors and community leaders.1,2 FOX 11's sources expect state Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner to run as well. He served as Genrich's chief of staff for most of his tenure and hadn't responded to FOX 11's questions.2 In a statement, Rivera-Wagner said he was deeply grateful for the mayor's friendship and service.3 Before any of that, he's on the Nov. 3 ballot in a rematch with Jessica Henderson for the 90th Assembly District.

[Round Two in Assembly District 90Amaad Rivera-Wagner and Jessica Henderson are doing this again. Two years after Rivera-Wagner beat Henderson by 1,224 votes to win Wisconsin's 90th Assembly District, the two are back on the same ballot for the Nov. 3 general election.¹ Assembly District 90, which covers central Green Bay,![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/06/transparent-5.png)Fox Watershedhttps://www.facebook.com/emrouse02![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/b4/edb4fd27-66fb-4967-8c7f-ec1cf54dfb05/content/images/2026/08/photo-1661224083534-0c13674b5664.jpeg)](https://foxwatershed.com/round-two-in-assembly-district-90/)

The mayor's race is nonpartisan, and Green Bay votes in the April 6, 2027 spring election.2,7 More candidates are likely to announce before then. The last open race, in 2019, drew eight.2

#### Sources & Credits

1. [Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich says he's not running for a third term](https://www.wbay.com/2026/10/01/green-bay-mayor-eric-genrich-says-hes-not-running-third-term/?ref=foxwatershed.com)
2. [Genrich won't run for reelection as Green Bay mayor](https://fox11online.com/news/election/eric-genrich-green-bay-mayor-not-running-third-term-re-election-jim-schmitt-onnly-announced-candidate-april-2027?ref=foxwatershed.com)
3. [Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich will not seek reelection in 2027](https://www.wpr.org/news/green-bay-mayor-eric-genrich-will-not-seek-reelection-2027?ref=foxwatershed.com)
4. [Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich will not run for reelection in 2027](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/green-bay-mayor-eric-genrich-204457499.html?ref=foxwatershed.com)
5. [Mayor Eric Genrich responds to Jim Schmitt's 2027 Green Bay mayoral bid](https://www.nbc26.com/news/local-news/mayor-eric-genrich-responds-to-jim-schmitts-2027-green-bay-mayoral-bid?ref=foxwatershed.com)
6. [Green Bay mayoral candidate Jim Schmitt reacts to Genrich not running for re-election](https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/jim-schmitt-green-bay-mayor-2/?ref=foxwatershed.com)
7. [Genrich won't seek another term as Green Bay mayor](https://www.nbc26.com/greenbay/genrich-wont-seek-another-term-as-green-bay-mayor?ref=foxwatershed.com)