Mayor Hicks resigns

Clarendon Mayor Larry Hicks surprised many in the community when he announced his resignation during last Thursday’s City Council meeting.

“I must regretfully resign my positions as your Mayor,” Hicks told the council. “It was a difficult decision to make, but due to health and personal reasons, I cannot keep with the day-to-day duties. It is a very demanding yet rewarding position.”

The aldermen accepted Hicks’ resignation with regrets and gave the outgoing mayor a standing ovation for his service.

Hicks served as a city alderman before being appointed as mayor following the resignation of Mayor Chris Ford in September 2010.

“It has been a great honor to serve the city that is my home and has given so much to me and my family,” Hicks said. “I want to thank you all for showing your trust in me to oversee the operations of our city and supporting the sometimes difficult decisions I have had to make. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this great privilege.”

Alderman Sandy Skelton was appointed to serve as Clarendon’s 38th mayor following Hicks’ resignation.

“I would like to thank the City Council members for their confidence in me to serve in the capacity of mayor for the City of Clarendon,” Skelton said. “Much appreciation is also expressed to Larry Hicks for his tenure as mayor for the past six years.

Skelton, who has served on the council for 3½ years, said Hicks had provided effective leadership and always made decisions in the best interest of the city, and he said he has enjoyed working with the present council, namely Aldermen Doug Kidd, Beverly Burrow, John Lockhart, and Larry Jeffers. He also praised the work of City Administrator David Dockery for knowledge and experience the respect he has in the community.

“Clarendon has a good team in place,” the new mayor said, “and collectively we will continue to be forward thinking in our approach to city improvements while keeping taxes and fees at an appropriate level.”

Skelton’s term as mayor will expire in May. A reception to honor former mayor Hicks will be held Saturday, October 15, at 1 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First United Methodist Church.

City officials took no action on naming someone to Skelton’s seat on the council. City Hall says citizens interested in serving on the council are urged to submit their name for consideration.

In other city business, aldermen approved the fiscal year 2017 budget and adopted a tax rate of $0.748 per $100 valuation to support that budget.

The City Council also spent some time reviewing the monthly code compliance report, and specifically addressed ongoing compliance issues at 1001 W. Third, 1100 E. Third, and 702 S. Carhart. Discussion also centered on compliance issues in the 500 block of S. Sully where an inspection had shown that a trailer house owned by the Mays Estate needs to be condemned and removed.