Wales mayor resigns because of

move outside town boundaries

By Doug Lowe 

Staff writer

03-12-2020

WALES—On the Tuesday before last, when most of the nation was caught up in Super Tuesday fever, town council members in Wales came face to face with a big change they knew was coming: the resignation of Mayor Keith Jensen.

That night, the mayor finally submitted his long-expected resignation, effective March 15. One month earlier, during the board’s February meeting, Jensen had explained that a mayor pro tempore needed to be named, because he would soon be moving, with his family, to their newly constructed home outside the town boundaries, thus making it illegal for him to finish the remaining two years of his second term as mayor.

On Tuesday, Mar. 3, the board appointed one of its members, Ron Thompson, as the man to temporarily take over the town’s leadership once Jensen left office.

After the board meeting, Town Recorder Velva Lee Sherman admitted “I am going to miss Mayor Jensen for how well he ran meetings and handled things.” She also issued a public notice announcing the mayor’s resignation and stating, “A qualified resident will be appointed … persons interested in being considered to fill this position are requested to contact the Town Clerk … before noon on Monday, April 6.”

The public notice also explains that those citizens applying for the position of mayor will be interviewed in an open meeting of the town board scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, the day following the application deadline,.