RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) — After nearly a decade serving as Racine's mayor, Cory Mason announced Friday he will not seek reelection next April.

Mason has been in the role for almost 10 years but has held elected office for twice that long.

CBS 58

"After 20 years of contributing to the community and working to make it a better community, I think it's time to pass the torch to the next generation of leadership," Mason told CBS 58. "It's a great honor to represent the community and have the opportunity, when you see a problem or a challenge, to be able to take it head-on and do something about that. So I'll miss having the ability to do that on behalf of the community, but I'm also excited to see who comes next."

Mason said he will finish out his term, which ends next spring, and he'll continue to work every day until then.

"Really hoping the state starts to invest in local communities again through shared revenue to help contribute to the cost of police and fire and keep our property taxes low," Mason said. "But certainly, the work we've done to reduce gun crime, to make home repair grants available to residents and really invest in our neighborhoods to make them a better place for people to live, I think that'll be the legacy people remember most."

He added that there is still work to be done to better the lives of the Racine community.

Among the long list of accomplishments that his office provided to CBS 58, Mason said one stands out in particular — making Kringle Wisconsin's official state pastry.

"Proud of that work. It puts Racine on the map in terms of something we're really known for," Mason said, laughing.

CBS 58

When asked what comes next, Mason said:

"That's yet to come. I mean, so really, with gratitude and humility, I want to thank the citizens of Racine for putting their faith into me and electing me nine times to represent them. But now my season is done, and it's time for somebody else to pick up the torch and carry the community forward."