Dick Gilpin, of Chesapeake, has decided to run for the office of mayor in the next election.

“I didn’t decide until (June 24),” Gilpin said. “I had been considering it for a while, but I hadn’t made a definite decision.”

He said the opportunity has presented itself and it was the opportune time to run.

“I can bring new ideas, new direction,” he said. “I have no problem with the current mayor. He’s a friend of mine, matter of fact, but I’m running for the position rather than running against him. I’ve been active in the community in many different fashions and I think I can bring something different to the job.”

Gilpin is chairman of OctoberFest, Lion’s Club member, and on the Board of Directors of the Community Center.

“I have been chairman of OctoberFest for the last eight years and we’re looking for volunteers to be part of our committee,” he said.

He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce, but “not a very good attending member,” he said.

His seat on village Council is up for election this year.

“It was either run for my seat or run for mayor,” Gilpin said. “(My family) were apprehensive at the time, but they are all for it now. I can work my schedule so that I can do both of them (mayor and business.)”

The Gilpin family moved to Chesapeake in 1982 and started a family hardware store, Gilpin’s True Value. It was closed in 1998 and the family downsized to a smaller store, Gilpin’s Creative Trophies and Awards at 101 Second Ave. in Chesapeake.

“There was just not enough business to sustain a small hardware store,” he said.

The election will be in November. Although the mayor is a non-partisan race, Gilpin is also a central committeeman for his precinct in the Republican Party.

“I hope everybody takes this political campaign with some humor,” Gilpin said. “And, I encourage anybody in the village to attend our Council meetings at 7 p.m. the first Monday of every month.”