CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson will run for an unprecedented fourth four-year term, hoping to follow through on his efforts to transform the city's schools, quell violence in the neighborhoods and bring constitutional policing to the city.

Jackson announced his candidacy at a news conference, minutes after meeting privately with friends and supporters at the Jerry Sue Thornton Center at Cuyahoga Community College.

So far, seven other candidates have pulled petitions to enter the race, including City Councilman Jeffrey Johnson, a longtime Jackson critic.

Jackson told reporters that he had created a ledger of the pros and cons of entering the race, and that he had remained undecided until just before making the announcement.

He said he doesn't need the job; he has spent enough decades in public service to retire with a comfortable pension. And he could have just left on a high note -- basking in Cleveland's recent accomplishments and handing off the remaining challenges to whoever comes next.

But in the end, he said, there was only one reason to run that outweighed all of the reasons not to: "And that is the people you see behind me."

"I couldn't just walk away from the issues they face everyday," Jackson said, flanked at the lectern by residents, members of the faith community, political allies and others. "And all the things that people talk about that are the challenges and problems of an urban center are things that my family and I live every day. This is not an academic or philosophical discussion for me. ... When I speak on issues, I speak from the heart."

Jackson said he would have been happy to step aside for another mayoral hopeful, had there been interest from a viable candidate who Jackson believed to have a "sincere and genuine care for the wellbeing of the people and the city as a whole."

But that candidate did not emerge, he said. And those who have entered the race are either insincere or unsuited for the job.

If re-elected, Jackson said, he would continue marching ahead with the key initiatives of his administration -- improving the school district, reforming the police department, and ensuring that residents share in the city's prosperity.

Jackson rejected his opponents' argument that he is more concerned with downtown development than with the neighborhoods and the people who live in them.

He pointed to his work in bringing business, civic and trade organizations to the table to forge "community benefits agreements," aimed at meeting the demands of the city's burgeoning construction industry by training and employing Cleveland's home-grown workforce.

And Jackson was pleased to note the city's legal victory earlier Tuesday, when a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge issued a permanent injunction against the state of Ohio and a recently enacted state law that prohibits municipalities from requiring contractors on public projects to hire local workers.

Jackson also pointed out that $25 million out of a $100 million bond issue in recent years is earmarked for economic development projects in the neighborhoods that need it most. And he said his administration is working with banks to develop an investment model that makes sense for those parts of town.

Jackson acknowledged that work remains to be done. But he scoffed at his challengers' suggestions that their economic development models will better serve the city.

"We put the work in," Jackson said. "Work in -- product out. BS in -- BS out. And I'm not going to stand by and watch BS get put in, and the end result is BS for the city of Cleveland."

Click here to read about the issues that are expected to frame the mayoral election.

Watch the mayor's announcement here: