And Wharton, who first announced his plans to run for mayor in November, said he will not have to resign his seat as county mayor in order to run.
"I do not have to step down and I will not step down," said Wharton, who is finishing his second term.
He also dismissed criticism from potential opponents that he, with a background in county politics, doesn't have enough experience in the city.
"That's not a credible claim," Wharton said. "It's the skill sets that matter. It's vision," he said. "Our greatest need isn't someone who knows where the store room is in City Hall, but someone who knows the vision we need and how to pull the people together on a broad basis."
Wharton has been fundraising for months and will pose a challenge to other contenders - particularly those who are just now stepping into the race. "Everybody knows the way we work over here in county government," Wharton said. "We've been pretty much in campaign footing everyday."
Wharton also applauded Herenton's legacy and the "vast changes he has made in the quality of life for so many folks, particularly in the area of the quality of our housing stock, the downtown revitalization, and maintaining the city on a sound financial footing when other cities are in much more dire straits than we are."
But Wharton remained mum on whether he would support Herenton in his upcoming bid for congress.
"The first rule of politics is to run one race at a time," he said. "So I'm going to run my race."
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