Madison school-board member Ray Allen said Tuesday he will not run for mayor due to his mother’s ill health.

“At this point in time, I am unable to balance a campaign with my family commitment,” Allen said.

He will remain vice president of the Madison Metropolitan School Board, a position that he has been elected to three times.

School-board member Shwaw Vang said Allen’s leadership through controversial issues demonstrated his capability as a mayoral candidate, such as the debate surrounding the Pledge of Allegiance in schools.

“Even when the board disagreed philosophically, he always respected others, never made the issue personal and kept discussion on a professional level,” Vang said. “In order to be a leader, you have to do that.”

Allen is known for supporting the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in Madison schools when the issue became controversial in 2001.

“The pledge is not about religion,” Allen wrote in an editorial in The Capital Times. “The pledge is about affirming our commitment to the democracy that protects our rights and freedom.”

Vang said he is disappointed Allen is out of the race and hoped Allen would consider running again in the coming years.

Allen said he is not considering a future campaign at this time.

“The future is a long way away,” Allen said.

Ald. Dorothy Borchardt, District 12, said she is very disappointed about Allen’s withdrawal.

“He was the moderate,” Borchardt said. “I’m not decided about what I’m going to do now.”

She said Allen had fresh ideas about how to tackle budget issues and had plenty of experience in management to qualify him for the position.

Ald. Tom Powell, District 5, said he is pleased Allen withdrew from the race, because he was the most conservative candidate running for office.

“Ray is much more conservative than the normal Madisonian,” Powell said. “Madison deserves a more liberal mayor.”

Powell said former mayor Paul Soglin should now withdraw from the race because Soglin’s motivation for running was to prevent Allen and incumbent Sue Bauman from winning the primary elections.

“Now that Allen’s out of the picture, Soglin’s entire reasoning for entering the race is now eliminated,” Powell said.

Allen is the second potential candidate to drop out of the mayoral race. Former City Council president and Dane County Board superintendent Wayne Bigelow dropped out Sept. 27, saying the race was too crowded.

The remaining candidates in the race are incumbent Mayor Sue Bauman, 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin director Dave Cieslewicz, former city affirmative action director Eugene Parks, musician Jim Schwall, former mayor Paul Soglin and Equal Opportunities Commission member Bert Zipperer.

Non-partisan primary elections are Feb. 18, which will narrow the race to two candidates. The general election is April 1.