Lion, until recently Douglas's mayor, resigns council seat
DOUGLAS — Douglas' mayor for the past two years, Patricia Lion, resigned from elected office last week in a letter to Douglas City Council members dated Nov. 24.
Lion had been mayor until Nov. 15, when council members voted down her nomination for a third year as mayor and chose Jerry Donovan in her stead. Mayors in Douglas, like nearby Saugatuck, are selected each year by nomination of the council from among the seven elected council members.
At the same meeting, council nominated and approved Lion to be mayor pro tem, the council member who acts as a stand-in for mayor when needed.
Lion told The Sentinel her resignation was due to "personal reasons," though she would not comment further on what events had triggered her unplanned resignation.
"It's very difficult for me, because I had my heart and soul in the city and the work I was doing, so it was a very difficult decision for me to make," Lion said.
Lion had owned the Rosemont Inn in Douglas and operated the bed and breakfast with a team of family members until earlier this year, when the inn was sold. She plans to move to North Carolina in the near future.
In her resignation letter, Lion wrote: "It is with deep regret that I must submit my resignation to the Board. My many years of service to this community has been deeply gratifying. I know in my heart that you all have the best aspirations and intent for the entire City as I have had in all my contributions to the City of the Village of Douglas. I sincerely hope Council and Staff take a good hard look at your communications skills, or lack thereof, to effectively present information with respect to no matter whom."
Open council seats are filled by appointment of the city council. The person appointed will serve out Lion's term on council, which ends November 2022.
"I did want to say thank you ever so much for the dedication and leadership that you provided in what may be one of the most trying times for the city in our 150 year history," Donovan said of Lion at the Nov. 15 council meeting. "The number of projects that are in progress, that have been completed and those that are to be completed and scheduled, fantastic, thank you."
— Contact reporter Carolyn Muyskens at cmuyskens@hollandsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @cjmuyskens.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Lion, until recently Douglas mayor, resigns from council
