Lovell mayor announces resignation

Lovell mayor Kevin Jones on Tuesday night announced his intention to resign as mayor due to a family move out of town.

The announcement came near the end of the regular September meeting of the council at the Lovell Community Center.

“I will be putting in my letter of resignation effective October 1,” Jones said. “I have obtained employment out of state.”

“It’s bittersweet,” he added, his voice cracking.

“It is for all of us,” replied councilman Tom Newman.

“I appreciate the council and the previous mayors (who helped me),” Jones said.

Town attorney Sandra Kitchen said that once the vacancy is official with the submission of a letter of resignation, the council must select a mayor from among the current council members. Thus, the new mayor will be Dan Anderson, Bob Mangus, Carol Miller or Tom Newman.

The appointed mayor would serve through the end of Mayor Jones’ term, which ends at the end of 2022, Kitchen said.

When a current councilman or councilwoman takes over as mayor, the resulting council vacancy would then be filled from within the Lovell community, Kitchen said, and traditionally, the town might seek letters of interest from interested citizens. A committee could be formed to review the letters and recommend a person to the rest of the council.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you,” town administrator Jed Nebel told Jones just before the meeting adjourned.