DEPOE BAY — Mayor Valerie Sovern resigned from her position Wednesday, just six months after her appointment to fill a one-year vacancy.
SovernSovern’s swift departure follows the resignation of her predecessor, Kathy Short who left her post in December mid-way through her third and final term.
Sovern served for three years on city council beginning in 2023 after 16 write-in votes won her the seat. In January she was appointed to serve a year’s term as mayor until a new one is elected in November.
In an email to the Lincoln Chronicle, Sovern said in the last six months she helped make progress on a backlog financial paperwork, overdue audits, pushed for infrastructure upgrades and managed a challenging budget year without sacrificing essential services.
Sovern said Wednesday that she was not able to share the reasons for her resignation.
“… local government has never been about grandstanding; it is about the quiet satisfaction of finding out what is broken and fixing it,” Sovern said in announcing her resignation.
— Shayla Escudero/Lincoln Chronicle
Hmm…makes me wonder what has caused two mayors to resign in such a short span of time… 🤔
Have you ever civically served? Trust me, it’s not for the faint of heart.
And there is always more to the story and it doesn’t mean that things are wrong with the city. Besides, Kathy Short resigned due to health and moved to Woodburn.