![\"National](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SUT-L-RON-MORRISON-02.jpg\")
National City Mayor Ron Morrison announces his decision not to seek reelection, ending a decades-long career at National City Hall on Saturday morning. (Jeff McDonald \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nNational City Mayor Ron Morrison was swept into public office the same year Bill Clinton was elected president, joining the City Council at a time when by his own telling the city was confronting stifling budget challenges, murders every week and a rampant drug and gang problem.<\/p>\n
The killings have declined along with drugs and gang violence. But the fiscal challenges facing National City are more pronounced than ever and a host of litigation and legal judgments still hang over the longtime mayor\u2019s hometown.<\/p>\n
Morrison, who is known around town as \u201cMr. National City\u201d and sports a vanity license plate that reads \u201cNATCITY,\u201d announced Saturday that he would not seek re-election to the office he has held for 16 of the past 20 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike anything, there is a time for things to come to an end,\u201d said Morrison, 76, who was surrounded by friends and supporters on the steps outside City Hall. \u201cIt has been a privilege to serve the people of National City.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unexpected retirement came at the beginning of only the second news conference Morrison called in his decades of public service. In his farewell address, the mayor lambasted some political rivals and endorsed several others.<\/p>\n
Morrison warned that outside interests are pushing the city to spend beyond its means and said the current budget needs trimming as soon as possible to avoid running out of money.<\/p>\n
Just last Tuesday, at the close of yet another acrimonious City Council meeting, City Manager Doug Schulze disclosed that the city is quickly running out of money and could face insolvency as soon as 2030.<\/p>\n
The mayor said he will not be a lame duck in his final months in elective office. He plans to institute a hiring freeze in coming weeks and re-examine a senior nutrition program he said is broadly taken advantage of by people who do not live in the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not going to feed the rest of the world,\u201d Morrison said.<\/p>\n
National City Mayor Ron Morrison announces his decision not to seek reelection, ending a decades-long career at National City Hall on Saturday morning. (Jeff McDonald \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
National City managed to pass a balanced budget in June, but the annual spending plan relies on reserves to meet all of its financial commitments.<\/p>\n
In addition to approving staff raises and new positions at City Hall, the City Council resisted adopting tax increases, business fees and other revenue sweeteners that would keep the city from dipping into its savings to pass a budget.<\/p>\n
In his parting announcement, Morrison said he is committed to restoring fiscal responsibility to his hometown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has happened these last few years is something I have been fighting against,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Morrison said he was retiring from politics and would no longer involve himself in city elections.<\/p>\n
But at the same time he endorsed three people he said best reflect the traits of committed public servants \u2014 District 4 Councilmember Marcus Bush for mayor, District 1 Councilmember Luz Molina for re-election and Edward Nieto for the District 3 council seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about who you like or dislike; it\u2019s not about who you agree with,\u201d Morrison said. \u201cIt\u2019s about electing people that love National City and will do what\u2019s best for the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bush, who attended the announcement outside City Hall, said he was grateful for Morrison\u2019s vote of confidence and that he looks forward to making the difficult decisions needed to balance the budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing I take to heart is that you want someone (as mayor) who loves this city,\u201d Bush said. \u201cTrue love is telling our employees not what they want to hear but what they need to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearby, National City Chamber of Commerce executive director Karen Azhocar McManus said Morrison\u2019s announcement was bittersweet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have known Ron for many years, (but) this is a changing of the guards,\u201d she said. \u201cHe has served honorably but it is time for him to enjoy the rest of his life and keep that spirit of keeping National City first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Perez, a National City resident who works as a loan officer, also attended the 40-minute announcement. He said Morrison has consistently pushed to preserve city resources but has been outvoted on the five-member board.<\/p>\n
\u201cRon has done a great job. He\u2019s really pulled his weight as a public figure in National City,\u201d Perez said. \u201cThere is a dais and you need the votes to make a decision.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
The longtime mayor departs a city government that is not only confronting insolvency. Morrison leaves the city awash in litigation, investigations and legal judgments that have handcuffed city finances in recent years.<\/p>\n
Last year, a San Diego County jury awarded former National City police officer Ashley Cummins $10 million in damages<\/a> for sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims she leveled against co-workers and supervisors.<\/p>\n As the city continues to litigate the jury\u2019s findings, the award has ballooned to some $15 million<\/a> \u2014 almost half the National City Police Department budget.<\/p>\n