Cheryl Danza, whose C.D. Danza Salon and Spa downtown marked its 10th anniversary in August, has announced she intends to run for mayor of Renton.

However, she’ll have to wait until she becomes a citizen of Renton before she formally files her candidacy with the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Danza, 41, has lived in Fairwood with her husband Ken Adams and their son Lucas for four years. Fairwood voters will decide in the November general election whether to annex to Renton.

Danza moved to Renton when she was 18. The family lived on Renton Hill for 13 years.

She is the first person to publicly indicate an intention to run against Mayor Denis Law, whose first term ends on Dec. 31, 2011. In recent months Law has deferred answering whether he would run again to later. However, Law said today (Monday) that at this point it’s his intention to run for re-election.

The election is a year away.

Danza has no political experience. She served for two years on the Renton Planning Commission, 2001-2002. However, she has been actively involved in the Piazza downtown and is a member of the Downtown Committee. She was a member of the Renton Chamber of Commerce.

Danza has been thinking about running for mayor for about 18 months.

“I am a very forward-thinking person,” she said. “I believe in the community.”

As mayor, her No. 1 focus would be on marketing Renton and not just marketing downtown. She envisions little burroughs with shops, including more art galleries.

She grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., where the downtown has plenty of shopping and is a fun and relaxing place to go, she said.

“Revitalizing downtown is very important,” she said. But the other neighborhoods, including the Highlands and Fairwood, also want to know they would receive the city’s attention.

She considered running first for the City Council.

“I believe that with my experience that I could skip the City Council and run for mayor,” she said, adding she would rely on the council’s help.

She has served on chamber committees and as a business owner, “I am in the trenches. I know what it takes.”

That business experience, she said, “would be equivalent to being part of City Hall.”

As mayor, she would need to propose a city budget to the City Council. She points out that she has run her own business for 10 years, which has had up to 23 employees and generated more than a million dollars in revenue.

“I was a brand new business owner at the age of 30,” she said. “I had to learn how to run a business and a budget.”

She said she’s not intimidated by Law.

“If Denis Law runs again, I am not so bold to say that he wouldn’t be a viable competitive candidate. He has a lot of experience himself,” she said.

“It doesn’t intimidate me one bit,” she said.