on November 29, 2005, he withdrew from the race, citing family concerns and also that the city of Columbus needed him in his current role as mayor. Coleman later endorsed fellow Democrat Ted Strickland for governor. After Strickland's victory in November 2006, Coleman was selected as chair for Strickland's transition team. Mayor of Columbus After winning election in 1999, Coleman was re-elected as mayor of Columbus in 2003, 2007 and 2011. Since 2000, under Mayor Coleman, the city of Columbus has spent $54 million less than budgeted. At the same time, he helped boost the city's spending on police and fire services from 63 percent of the city operating budget to 71 percent in 2005. Under Coleman, the city has also cut more than $190 million from continuation budgeting levels since 2000, despite increases in costs for medical insurance, wages and workers compensation. As of 2013, bonds issued by the city of Columbus received a AAA bond rating from all three major rating services, the highest possible rating. , Coleman was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition (now known as Everytown for Gun Safety), a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The coalition was then co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Coleman was a long-list finalist for the 2008 World Mayor award. 2007 mayoral campaign During the 2007 mayoral campaign, Coleman was opposed by lawyer William Todd, a Republican. Todd claimed Coleman was soft on crime and ineffective on economic development. Coleman was re-elected, with the certified results showing he received more than 69 percent of 105,792 votes cast to Todd's 30 percent. 2010 immigration debate In the spring of 2010 Mayor Coleman banned city workers from traveling to Arizona in a boycott over an Arizona law allowing police officers to demand documentation of citizenship of anyone suspected of being in the United States illegally. Coleman compared the Arizona measure to 19th-century laws that required freed slaves to carry emancipation papers. He said his boycott was intended to show Arizona that its law enforcing illegal immigration measures is not the American way. While travel by city workers to Arizona is prohibited, police officers will be able to travel for the purpose of criminal extradition. Contracts with Arizona companies will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Mayor.