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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 7, 2005 Burks steps down from city council By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Phoenix City Councilor Harold Burks will announce his resignation from the elected office at tonight's council meeting, the Daily Tidings has learned. Burks, who was just re-elected in November, will present a letter detailing why he is leaving his post just a few weeks into his second four-year term. "It is not my nature to quit anything that I start, but in this instance I must," reads Burks' letter to the council. "I am leaving for health reasons that required my visiting the emergency room." Burks said he recently had to be taken to the emergency room because of chest pain and high blood pressure, which his doctor accredited to stress. "I agree," wrote Burks in his letter. However, in a separate interview, Burks said he is abandoning his post in part because of the highly contentious political atmosphere that has recently arisen in the tiny hamlet of Phoenix. "If it weren't for all that, I would probably stay on," Burks said. Burks, the only Phoenix councilor of three to win re-election this past November, was part of the political faction targeted by an anonymous letter campaign during the election season. He said the "dirty politics" has not ended with the election and that this is not the spirit under which he wants to represent his adopted hometown of Phoenix. "Once we find out who wrote those letters we'll know more about the backdoor political motives that are trying to take over the city of Phoenix," Burks said. The letters, signed only by a group known as Citizens for Honest and Responsible City Government, referred to Burks as "Crazy Man Harold" and claim that he was hand-picked by the former mayor "to be an advisor to the police department to help protect the mayor's 'dirty' police officer friend." "You are a sleazy politician and you need to just go away," reads the unsigned letter. "Have you always acted like this or is it just because of your medications." Burks believes the letter was meant to imply that he was unsuited to hold office because of his medical history. However, he said he does not take any medication that would prevent or inhibit his ability to serve as city councilor. "In my opinion, the letters were based on a personal vendetta that has no basis in fact," his letter to the council states. "In this case, the stated objective was to bring down members of city government and it worked." When a councilor resigns less than 30 months into his or her term, the remaining councilors elect someone to fill the vacancy, rather than having a special election, said Phoenix city recorder Betty Smith. "The vacancy would be filled by the other councilors," Smith said. "As long as they have four councilors present at the meetings there is not a problem." Smith said the Phoenix council has operated short one councilor before for as long as 30 to 45 days but, she added, "If they know of someone who is interested, they will appoint them right away." Staff writer Bob Plain can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 3040 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange web conferencing Online Casinos Community Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams