Dunnellon mayor and one council member announce they will be resigning
DUNNELLON — Coming into Monday's Dunnellon City Council workshop, council members were scheduled to discuss how to fill an empty seat on the board.
During that discussion, Mayor Wally Dunn and Council woman Juliane Mendonca announced their intentions to resign their seats by next month.
Mendonca was sworn in a little more than a year ago. She took over for former council member Louise Kenny, who left for family reasons.
Dunn took over the mayor's position following the abrupt retirement of Bill White earlier this year. White cited health reasons for leaving. An election for mayor was not held and Dunn was selected by his council colleagues to fill the post.
The mayor and city council members serve four-year terms.
Mendonca said her resignation date is Dec. 1. Dunn said he's hoping the council will allow him to stay until the end of the year. He said if he's in office on Jan. 1 and hasn't completed the financial disclosure form, then he would have to pay a fine.
The mayor said some people think he's resigning because he cannot handle the pressure of the job. Dunn assured everyone that he enjoys pressure and can take the criticism. However, he doesn't believe he should have to fill out a financial disclosure form.
Both elected officials said they're leaving because of the new rule, which requires them to disclose every asset and liability. They don't believe this should be necessary.
Dunn has openly voiced his disagreement with the disclosure form. Mendonca said she has written a letter to the Riverland News expressing her reasoning for wanting to step aside.
Presently, there are four members on the council: Rex Lehmann, Tim Inskeep, Mendonca and Dunn. The fifth seat was held by Jan Cubbage, but she left in August.
A former council member and mayor, Walter Green, is seeking appointment to Cubbage's seat. So is Adam Nichols, whom the council previously has passed on.
At Monday's workshop, Green introduced himself to council members and those in the audience. He told them about the rough patches he and the other council members had to endure — such as the sale of the city's water and sewer operation and offloading the fire department to the county — during his time in office, 2014 to 2018.
Nichols, who wasn't at Monday's workshop, submitted a letter to the clerk for her to read aloud. In it, he mentioned his years of service at the federal level and his willingness to serve the people. Nichols was in the U.S. Army for 20 years.
Seeking a replacement: City officials re-advertise vacant city of Dunnellon seat
No vote was taken at the workshop. Board members are expected to make a decision on the empty seat at their next meeting.
Other city news
City and county officials are in discussion about the future of Blue Run Park. City officials said the agreement between the two entities favors county.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Dunnellon's mayor and one council member plan to resign next month
