PALMER -- The mayor of the Mat-Su city of Houston, as well as the deputy mayor and city treasurer, resigned suddenly last week without any immediate public explanation.
Virgie Thompson had served as mayor of the small city along the Parks Highway for more than a decade. She, deputy mayor Lance Wilson and city treasurer Sandy Schug all notified the city council of their decisions to resign in brief letters that were part of the packet for an upcoming meeting.
Thompson did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Wilson and Schug couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The city clerk’s office did not return requests for more information.
The resignations came the same day unofficial results of Oct. 4 local elections were announced. Unofficial election results were announced Oct. 7.
Thompson resigned as of noon Oct. 7. Wilson resigned as of 9 a.m. Oct. 7, saying in his letter that he had served the city for 14 years as a council member, many of those years as deputy mayor. Schug resigned as of 5 p.m. that same day, she wrote in her letter. “I thank all the people I have had an honor to work with over the years. I hope all goes well for the City of Houston.”
Voters elected two new council members - David Childs and Sandy McDonald, who served on the council with former mayor Roger Purcell -- and re-elected Mike Adams.
Purcell resigned in 2010 ahead of a recall election. Thompson survived a recall election in 2011.
[Valley driver cries foul when pulled over by mayor of Houston]
The council is expected to swear in the new members at a special meeting Monday night and will also need to elect a new mayor and deputy mayor.
The council will also need to appoint a new council member to fill a seat left vacant when a former member resigned in August because she moved outside city limits.
The city will be posting the newly open treasurer position soon, according to a memo in the packet for the next regular council meeting on Thursday.