Mayor Tom Stiehm filed last week to seek his fourth term as Austin’s mayor.

Mayor Tom Stiehm

Stiehm, 64, said he wants to keep working on projects that are already in motion, such as the $35 million rec center proposal, workforce housing goals and developing a positive economic environment to retain and attract jobs to Austin.

“We need to bring jobs to Austin and create an environment that companies look at,” Stiehm said.

Though the city has had a few near misses with potential job creators, Stiehm is positive someone will choose Austin sooner or later.

He said he has enjoyed his last four terms as mayor and wants the town to keep moving forward.

“Austin is moving in the right direction,” Stiehm said. “We may lose things but we keep picking up things too.”

Stiehm and his wife, Sarah, have lived in Austin since 1976, when he joined the police force and retained that job for 30 years until his retirement in 2006, the same year he was first elected.

“I enjoy it. It’s fun,” Stiehm said. “We’re right in the middle of a lot of different things. We need to keep moving forward.”

He has three children: Mike, Chrissy and Nicole, along with five grandchildren.