Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4)

The 2014 mayor’s race will get its first officially declared candidate this week when Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) delivers on widely shared expectations and announces her campaign.

Bowser, whose plans were first reported by The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis, will make the announcement on Saturday at her childhood home in the North Michigan Park neighborhood. The 40-year-old Bowser was first elected to the D.C. Council in a 2007 special election to succeed then-Mayor Adrian Fenty as the Ward 4 member. She was re-elected by wide margins in 2008 and 2012.

During her time on the Council, Bowser has acted similarly to Fenty when he represented Ward 4, focusing on constituent services and aid to senior citizens. She has also been a strong proponent of retail development, including the construction of several Walmart stores throughout the city. In January, she took over the chairmanship of the Council’s Economic Development Committee.

Other Council members are weighing mayoral bids, although Bowser will be the first to make it official. Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) launched an exploratory committee last month; Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) has also expressed interest in running.

And then, of course, there’s Mayor Vince Gray, who has not indicated whether he will go for a second term. The federal investigation into his 2010 campaign is still ongoing, though some political observers felt that his recent State of the District address sounded like a campaign stump speech.

In addition to being the only woman planning a mayoral bid in 2014, Bowser, as the Post notes, is the only D.C. native and the only African-American among the councilmembers considering a run.

The Democratic primary, which historically serves as the de facto general election, will be held next April.