Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash announced his resignation Friday, nearly six months after his re-election in February.
Nash announced his resignation in a Facebook announcement, writing external factors caused his family to look for a new home, which they found outside Ward 5 boundaries.
“Our family’s outgrowing the house we’re in now,” Nash wrote. “We found a house that is gonna be just right for us. Unfortunately, it’s not gonna be in Ward 5.”
Nash wrote in the post he believes it would not be fair to represent Ward 5 if he cannot give residents his undivided attention.
If a councilmember doesn’t reside in their ward, they vacate their seat.
Ward 5 is the largest of the eight wards and includes Lake Thunderbird. Norman Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman says Nash has represented the area well and he hopes the next councilmember will be knowledgeable about issues faced by both the ward and the city of Norman.
"Even though we may represent individual wards as councilmembers, the decisions that are made on the council are made as a whole and impact the whole city in many cases," Holman said.
Holman says the city council will likely form a citizen committee comprised of Ward 5 residents to interview applicants and make an appointment recommendation.
The mayor said whoever is appointed to fill Nash’s seat will serve until February, when regular elections for Wards 2, 4, 6 and 8 are held.
