By LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / April 7, 1999

HAHNVILLE – St. Charles Parish District 3 Parish Councilman Ron Phillipsresigned his position effective Tuesday, leaving the position vacant for an interim council member to be named.

Phillips quietly slipped from Monday’s council meeting after giving each fellow member a letter of farewell, in which he recommended former Ormond Civic Association president Jeff Tully as his interim replacement.

He confirmed that he sent an official letter of resignation Saturday to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office.

Phillips said he has accepted a job and is moving to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., assales manager for an industrial supply company, serving a territory from the Caribbean to the Michigan-Canada border. “It was too good an offer topass up,” he said.

In the past several months, Phillips has worked remotely as a councilman while he worked on the road.

“That being the case,” he said in his letter to council members, “I have, to this point, been able to stay in touch with the council office either by phone, e-mail, or the council FTP site, in which I get all of the reports and council packages.”He added he was proud of being able to make all but two council meetings since last September and added he personally paid for all his flights home to attend those meetings.

However, his letter continued, work demands made necessary his permanent departure from the Parish Council. His house in Ormond will besold as of early May.

Phillips detailed his reasons for resignation as: It is not fit to the citizens of the district that I represent to continue to be active remotely.

My workload with my full time job is further intensifying. I personallyneed all of the time I can muster to take care of this opportunity. For thepast several months, I have been flying from wherever I was back to Destrehan during the weekend to make the meetings. This has taken awaythree-four days per month associated with meetings and travel to the next destination.

The sale of our home is set for early May. I will then lose my residencyat that point.

This will allow you, the members of the council, the opportunity to appoint my replacement, which can better dedicate the needed time and energy to serving the district and the parish. In the fourth year of myterm, the council can appoint my replacement, saving the citizens the cost of a local election.

According to the Parish Council office, the council chairman has 10 days from the date of official notification from the Secretary of State’s office of the vacancy to make an interim appointment. Such appointment couldalso run for election this fall. A special election is not needed, as theappointment is for less than one year.

In his letter, Phillips added that Tully has contacted each council member to campaign for the appointment. Others have also expressed an interest inthe interim position.

Phillips has been a St. Charles Parish resident for 19 years.

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