Racine Mayor Cory Mason won't seek re-election in April 2027

Originally published by Racine County Eye.

RACINE — Mayor Cory Mason will not run for a third full term in April 2027, he announced Friday, ending a run in elected office that began 20 years ago this week.

“After 20 years, with humility and gratitude, I believe now is the time to pass the torch of leadership on to the next generation,” Mason said in a statement released by his office Friday morning.

Mason said the announcement came 20 years to the day after Racine voters first sent him to the state Assembly on Nov. 7, 2006. He said he has won eight elections since: five as a state representative and three as mayor.

Mason became mayor in an October 2017 special election, defeating then-Alderwoman Sandy Weidner after Mayor John Dickert resigned mid-term to take another job. He was sworn in Nov. 7, 2017, won a full term in 2019 and was re-elected in April 2023 over Alderman Henry Perez, 8,596 votes to 6,376, in a race in which his campaign raised more than $500,000, most of it from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

His term ends in April 2027. Until then, Mason said, he intends to open the new Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and health facilities next to Julian Thomas Elementary School and to work with the incoming governor and Legislature on shared revenue for the city.

What the mayor’s office says he accomplished

Friday’s statement lists what Mason’s office describes as highlights of his tenure, including the Lincoln King housing development, the Youth Employment Program, the Racine Works construction-trades program, the TID home repair grant program, funding to remove lead water pipes, the adult high school diploma program and the creation of the Department of Community Safety.

The office also says gun crime fell 47% during Mason’s time in office and that the city’s property tax rate dropped from 17 mills to 11 mills. The statement does not say which years those figures compare or where the numbers come from. A lower tax rate does not by itself mean lower tax bills or lower city spending: when assessed property values rise, the same levy produces a lower rate.

Racine County Eye has asked the mayor’s office for the years, measures, and sources behind both figures, as well as the city’s total levy and the tax bill on a median-value home over the same period.

What he promised along the way

When Mason was sworn in in November 2017, he promised to restore the middle class and get Racine back to work, pointing to the 11,000 city residents without a high school credential and to the Foxconn development then planned for Mount Pleasant.

In his 2023 candidate questionnaire for Racine County Eye, Mason named three priorities for his second full term: public safety, at a time when the police department was down more than 30 officers; voting rights; and neighborhood revitalization through new housing, home repair grants and homeownership. The 2023 campaign was fought largely over police staffing and gun violence. Friday’s statement does not address police staffing.

What happens next

Mason’s decision sets up Racine’s first open mayoral race since 2017. In the 2023 cycle, candidates for mayor began circulating nomination papers Dec. 1 and had until early January to file; a February primary is held if three or more candidates qualify. Racine County Eye is confirming this cycle’s dates with the City Clerk.

Mason’s office said he is available for interviews Friday afternoon. This story will be updated.

What we know, and what we’re checking

Confirmed: Mason announced Nov. 6, 2026, that he will not seek re-election. His term ends in April 2027.

From the mayor’s office, not yet verified by Racine County Eye: the 47% reduction in gun crime, the change in the property tax rate, the number of home repair grants, and the dollar figures for development and lead pipe removal.

What we’ll check next: the city’s adopted budgets from Mason’s first and last years in office; police sworn strength in 2017 and today; the MLK Jr. Community Center’s opening date; and the City Clerk’s calendar for the 2027 mayoral election.

Related coverage

Source: City of Racine news release, Nov. 6, 2026; Racine County Eye archives.