J.W. Lown, who 10 days
ago was overwhelmingly reelected to his fourth term as mayor of
San Angelo, Texas, abruptly resigned on Wednesday in order to
pursue a relationship with a man who is not an American
citizen, reports the
San Angelo Standard-Times.
Lown, 32, spoke to the
newspaper by telephone from an undisclosed location in Mexico,
where he and his partner are awaiting a visa to return legally
to the United States. He said that he skipped his swearing-in
ceremony on Tuesday because he did not want to take the oath of
office knowing he was "aiding and assisting" someone who
was not a citizen.
"I made the final
decision when I knew it was the right decision to make for me
and my partner and our future -- and for the community," he
said.
Lown declined to
identify his partner, but said the man came to the United
States five years ago to attend Angelo State
University in West-Central Texas. Their relationship began in
the last two months.
Mayor Lown officially
tendered his resignation via a letter delivered to city manager
Harold Dominguez on Wednesday morning.
"While I know that
the timing of this announcement is less than ideal, I have my
own compelling reasons for making this decision," he wrote.
"I have made thousands of decisions on behalf of our
community, and I weighed this decision in the same manner that
I approached other decisions."
The San Angelo City
Council must decide whether to appoint a new mayor or allow the
position to remain vacant for six months until a new mayor can
be elected in a special election in November.
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