Two months of bitter arguments over 39th Street and the fire chief appointment and other issues came to a head Monday night when Joe Johnson read his letter of resignation at the end of the open session of the City Council meeting.
Johnson had asked former City Attorney Cristine Stallings to draft the letter of resignation prior to the council meeting but had not made a decision on leaving office. Two holdover members of the council, Todd Williams and Steve Miles, requested that Johnson follow through on his resignation.
Newly-elected board members Randy Brejnik and Gene Ishmael voted against asking Johnson for his resignation which resulted in a 2-2 tie vote, with Williams and Miles voting in favor. In a surprise turnaround, Johnson read his letter of resignation in open session and said he would leave office following the executive session.
Miles is the mayor pro-tem and presumably would act in the city’s top position until a decision is made on holding a new election. Bethany has been without a city attorney since Stalling’s resignation last month.