Citing career obligations, Stephen Schutte drops out of Hagerstown mayoral race

Hagerstown mayoral candidate Stephen Schutte announced late Wednesday morning that he is withdrawing from the race.

Citing a career promotion that will require more travel, Schutte said he wasn't sure he could devote enough time to mayoral responsibilities.

"As of today, I have decided to end my campaign for Mayor of Hagerstown," Schutte said in a release to his campaign Facebook page.

"This decision wasn't without much mental anguish and careful consideration," the release says. "The new role will see me managing 11 or so markets across the mid-Atlantic and into Texas. With the amount of time and travel that will be needed to foster growth and success — I wouldn't be able to give Hagerstown and its citizens what it needs the most … undivided attention."

Schutte was facing candidate Bill McIntire in the November election.

Schutte currently is the local general manager for Point Broadband in Hagerstown. Back in March, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce named him Business Person of the Year.

Schutte told The Herald-Mail that his new position as a director of field marketing for Point Broadband begins next week.

"Ultimately, what this boils down to is I mentally couldn't get the math to work, and get the gymnastics to work, to figure out how I was going to manage both this side of my career and a potential win as mayor, and giving Hagerstown the due diligence that I think it deserves," Schutte said.

"I couldn't make the math work and thought it best just to withdraw and bail out gracefully and really make sure that we have folks in place that can fully commit to Hagerstown as a whole."

Schutte is not moving from Hagerstown, he said, and noted that his community involvement and work with local nonprofits, as well as the Chamber award, had helped propel him to his new position.

He noted in his release that "Hagerstown (now more than ever) needs leaders and elected officials who are willing to put partisan politics aside — to get out of their own way — and work together for one common goal — the betterment of this community as a whole.

"In my opinion, public safety, economic development, education and community pride are top priorities. But we miss where it counts the most … youth and family support … Our focus locally should include a drilled-down approach - neighborhood by neighborhood — house to house — with the support that our community families need."

Schutte told The Herald-Mail he wishes all the candidates in the upcoming municipal elections, especially McIntire, "wonderful success in putting their nose to grindstone to get this city to where it needs to be."

Schutte trailed McIntire in the May primary election by nearly 1,000 votes.

Hagerstown's municipal elections are nonpartisan.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Citing career obligations, Stephen Schutte drops out of Hagerstown mayoral race