A controversial Decatur City councilman both announced and then withdrew his candidacy for mayor in an apparent stunt to prove a point.

Hunter Pepper, who represents District 4 on the Decatur City Council, initially announced Tuesday on Facebook that he was running to become mayor of the city, according to WAFF.

 “I think it’s time for someone to step up to the plate and get this city to where it needs to be,” Pepper said in the now deleted post. “I am not running for council, but I am humbly asking for your vote for Mayor of our great city.”

In another Facebook post in the afternoon Pepper shared the “method to the madness” and withdrew from the mayoral race.

‘Today, I qualified for mayor to prove a point,“ Pepper said. ”Anyone with $50 (or for free) can walk into a clerks office, “qualify” for mayor and get 15 minutes of fame. Do. Your. Research. Choose a candidate who is going to continue to make our city prosperous and a better place. Our city needs leadership that i do not have the ability or knowledge to give.”

But Pepper also signaled that he may also be stepping down from his public office in District 4 saying, “I feel as if my time in municipal government has come to an end.”

Pepper was 18 when he was elected to the city council in 2020, unseating a long-time incumbent and becoming the city’s youngest-ever councilman.

During his tenure Pepper has been part of several controversies and received national news attention.

In 2021, after voting to end the city’s mask mandate, Pepper was diagnosed with COVID. He went on to encourage others to get vaccinated.

He has had several run ins with Steve Perkins protesters due to his support for the police and comments targeted at demonstrators.

Perkins was shot and killed by a Decatur police officer in September of 2023, setting off a wave of protests in the city calling for changes and accountability from police.

Pepper stated before that the parents of the protesters failed in their upbringing and, “don’t know how to raise children so they can grow up and become productive members of society.”

Pepper also got into a 42-minute argument with police in 2022 after they attempted to enforce a fireworks ordinance at his home.