Spring Lake Village Council formally accepted the resignation of Village President Joyce Hatton during a special meeting Thursday.
According to the Grand Haven Tribune, Hatton’s resignation was effective Tuesday.
Following the 4-0 vote, Village Clerk/Treasurer Marv Hinga swore in Mark Powers as village president. According to the Village Charter, Powers will serve the rest of Hatton's two-year term, which runs through the end of 2018.
Hatton emailed a letter of resignation to council members late Tuesday night, less than four hours after the primary election polls closed. That’s when village voters turned down a ballot proposal that would have amended the Village Charter to allow a mechanism for disincorporation, something Hatton has strongly advocated.
Hatton had said Monday that she planned to resign after the election no matter what voters decided on the proposal.
Hatton, a long-time proponent of disincorporating the village and merging with Spring Lake Township, was often at odds with other council members, who favored keeping the village intact.
Hatton said she has no regrets. She said she was elected to get the issue on the ballot, and she succeeded.
Hatton, 84, said she will now spend time working on her autobiography, visiting family members and sailing.
Powers said he looks forward to council “getting back to the quiet business of fixing our sewers and repairing our roads.”
During the public comment portion of Thursday's special meeting, village resident Darcy Dye thanked council members for their steady leadership during the past few months.
“Thank you for holding the course during very difficult times, for holding the village interest as your best interest and doing what you could to work through some pretty difficult conflicts,” she said. “We're grateful for the education about the elections. Thank you for wisdom and graciousness, and all you've done for the village.”
The council will now turn its attention to filling Powers’ council seat. He had also served as mayor pro tem.