Sample newspaper article

Peoria Mayor announces resignation

(PEORIA, Feb. 21—) Peoria Mayor Tom Reid announced Monday that he will resign his position by the end of the month. His decision comes after recent news that his wife has been diagnosed with cancer and the couple plan to move to Ohio to be near family.

In a prepared statement delivered at Monday night’s city council meeting, Reid expressed regret in not being able to finish serving his term, but stated he needed to be free of professional obligations in order to fully attend to his wife. Reid’s term would have expired 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.”

Reid’s resignation comes at a time of internal struggles in the city’s government stemming from council members’ disagreement on several matters in the city budget proposal. Three of the last four council meetings have ended with members walking out of the meetings early because of arguing over how funds should be distributed to the city’s departments.

The council now faces the decision on whether to appoint a replacement for Reid until the 2010 election or to hold a special election for a new mayor. White insisted that the council will work together to decide what is best for Peoria and its residents and to help make the transition from Reid to a new mayor as easy as possible for everyone involved.

“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. Agreeing on a replacement for Mayor Reid, however, could be a difficult decision for the council given its current state, Krueger added.

“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.”