Davis is second Grovetown councilman to resign office

Two weeks after one Grovetown City Councilman announced his intention to resign, a second followed suit on Monday.

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City Councilmen Robert Newman and Barry Davis will be stepping down at the start of the new year.

Newman announced Nov. 30 that he planned to resign a year shy of fulfilling his four-year term.

"Some unfortunate events have come up in my life and I am going to have to step down," Newman wrote in an e-mail to city officials.

Newman said he'd planned to submit his formal resignation at Monday's monthly council meeting, but was hospitalized and could not attend. He informed the city clerk that he would sign a formal statement by the end of the year.

Davis, also a year short of fulfilling his four-year term, submitted his resignation at the meeting. Davis married in October, sold his Grovetown home and moved out of the city.

"It has been a true honor to serve as councilman of Grovetown," Davis said, while reading from his resignation letter. "Together, we have improved the quality of life for our citizens and paved the way for a brighter future."

Both resignations will be effective Jan. 1. Newman and Davis were elected to the council in November 2007.

"Barry, we hate to lose you," Mayor George James said after accepting Davis' resignation at the meeting. "We thank you for your service, what you've done while you were here. It is going to be hard to replace you."

Because there will be less than a year remaining on each term, no special election is required to fill the vacant seats, said James. The mayor and city council members can appoint replacements to fill the unexpired terms.

Ten people have expressed interest in the positions and "are willing to step in and serve out the remaining terms of both councilmen who are resigning," James said.

Though the list is not exclusive and city officials can nominate and vote to appoint anyone, the list includes: former Mayor Dennis Trudeau; former city council members Dick Manion, Tony Arnold and Rosa Lee Owens; Theopelis Knight, who vied for a seat and lost in 2007; Jennifer McCullough; Vern Cargill; Dale Stoddard; Scarlett Devoti; and David Payne.

The mayor and remaining council members will consider interested residents. If no special meeting is called, they will likely nominate and vote to appoint replacements at the Jan. 10 meeting, said City Manager Shirley Beasley.

"They will be one-year appointments," James said.

The regular election is scheduled for November.

Also at the meeting, city officials approved the first reading of an ordinance that will set up new outdoor watering guidelines. The guidelines, which are state mandates, allow outdoor watering any day of the week from 4 p.m. until 10 a.m.

Even though city officials likely won't approve the second reading until the January meeting, James said the guidelines will be enforced starting Jan. 1.