Ten years into his tenure as mayor and a year into his third term, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson is facing a set of challenges familiar to many mayors across the country: crime and public safety, housing and investing in the city’s infrastructure.

At the same time, Stimpson is also tangling with challenges unique to Mobile: revitalizing the Mobile Civic Center and other institutions, as well as an attempt to grow the city by annexing some territory west of the city.

Though Stimpson said when he won re-election in 2021 that his third term would be his last, during Wednesday’s interview with AL.com/the Lede, he strongly hinted at running for a fourth term in 2025.

Here, Stimpson discusses his legacy in Mobile, growing the city and moving Mobile past being the “city of perpetual potential.”

Questions and answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.