Mayor Resigns to Take Care
of Wife:
City council dealing with more
inner turmoil
Jonathan Connaughty
Peoria
Mayor Tom Reid announced at last night’s city council meeting that he will be resigning
his position by the end of the month. His decision comes after recent news that
his wife has been diagnosed with cancer. In his statement Reid expressed regret
in not being able to finish out his term, but, he needed to be free of
professional obligations in order to fully attend to his wife. Reid’s term was
set to end in 2010.
“We
are sorry to see him go,” said council member Sharon White, “but we know he and
his wife are experiencing personal challenges and his wife’s health is his
priority right now.”
White
and the rest of city council are tasked with deciding whether to appoint a
replacement for Reid until the 2010 election or to hold a special election for mayor.
White insisted that the council will work together to decide what is best for
Peoria and its residents and that the council will help make the transition
from Reid to a new mayor as easy as possible.
Reid’s
resignation comes at a time of internal struggles in the city’s government.
Recent
arguments over the allocation of city funds have resulted in some council
members walking out of three of the last four council meetings. “There’s never
a good time in a city’s operations for a mayor to resign,” White said, “but, in
this case the council must set aside our differences and we will do so partly
out of respect for the work and commitment Reid has made during his term in
office.”
Council
members Richard Hirsch and Michael Krueger estimate that a special election might
cost the city more than $20,000. Krueger also added that given the current
state of the council it could be difficult to agree on a replacement for Mayor
Reid. “I’d like for us to come together for the sake of Peoria and reach a consensus
on this one right away,” Krueger said. “The city needs to move on. We have a
lot of work ahead of us.”
Reid
and his wife plan on moving on to Ohio to be near family during these hard
times.
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