Ritchey to resign as Devine alderman

RITCHEY RESIGNS…..Devine District 4 Alderman Josh Ritchey, left, submitted his resignation effective Jan. 31 during the Devine Council meeting Dec. 16. Photo by Anton Riecher.

By Anton Riecher
District 4 Alderman Josh Ritchey announced his intention to resign his council seat in January during the Dec. 16 regular session of the Devine City Council.
“It’s been a profound honor and, at times, a humbling challenge to serve the city,” Ritchey said, reading his letter of resignation aloud.
Ritchey, who has served four years on the council, is moving away from the city, Mayor Butch Cook said.
Still reading from his resignation letter, Ritchey said he “embarked on this journey driven by a genuine desire to serve my community and, indeed, by determination to advance policies that would better reflect our shared values and aspirations for progress, while most importantly, limiting government growth and reducing overreach.”
“We have deliberately and conscientiously moved our city toward a future grounded in equality and a forward looking vision rather than remaining tethered to the constraints of our past,” Ritchey said.
Aside from his formal resignation, Ritchey took time to complement someone who at times stood as his most fierce political adversary on the council – former District 3 Alderwoman Debbie Randall.
“Oddly enough, my greatest appreciation working on this council and learning a lot about politics was working with Debbie Randall,” he said.
“We fought like cats and dogs and disagreed on just about everything, but she really taught me the value of having someone you just cannot see eye-to-eye with, no matter how hard you try, but really appreciating the perspective and the intensity that person brings to the betterment of the community.”
Although Ritchey intended to resign effective Jan. 31, city attorney Tom Cate informed the council that under state law Ritchey would continue to hold the seat until formally replaced by either council action or the next election.
This triggered a lengthy discussion on establishing a policy on temporarily filling vacant council seats until the next election or leaving them vacant while encouraging potential candidates to seek the office. The council elected to leave the seat vacant until the next election.