This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Two-term Ogden City Councilman Rick Safsten announced Thursday he will not run for re-election because of personal challenges.

"My wife, Christine, is afflicted with multiple sclerosis and its progression is taking some of the wind out of our sails," he said in a news release.

Safsten, who served eight years on such boards as the Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustment before joining the council, also dismissed the prospect of running for mayor, which was rumored last winter.

The only declared candidate for Ogden's top job so far is Neil Hansen, a Democratic state representative.

Mayor Matthew Godfrey has not announced whether he will seek a third term this year. Safsten, a former council chairman, has been a backer of Godfrey's initiatives to reinvigorate Ogden.

In his news release, Safsten encouraged residents who are courageous, hard working, enthusiastic and willing to take risks to run for council: "Ogden cannot afford politicians who have nothing to offer but small thinking or who would stomp on the brakes of our current rejuvenation."

- Kristen Moulton