For the first time since Mayor Richard Kopczick challenged the incumbent mayor of Morris, he has an opponent running against him.

Third Ward Morris Alderman Drew Muffler, a Republican, will be running against Kopczick, a Democrat, in the April 9, 2013, election. Kopczick is coming to the end of his third term.

Muffler, who has been an alderman since 2009, made his official announcement in a press release Thursday. He pulled his petition to run as a Republican candidate for the city's top position Tuesday, said City Clerk John Enger.