Leadwood mayor hands in resignation

In a surprise move, Leadwood Mayor Bill Link handed in his resignation Friday after an executive session of the Leadwood Board of Aldermen in City Hall.

Link said he went into the executive session with no idea that he would be asked to step down.

“With great reluctance I resigned after being pressured by the entire city council and the city clerk,” Link said. “I was trying to do my job by the book.”

He declined to discuss details on Friday.

Link’s resignation was effective immediately.

City Clerk Debra Bevington said Link’s resignation, announced during the closed session, was a surprise to her.

“It was a shock to me,” she said. “I didn’t expect it.”

Mayor Pro Tem Donnie Eaton will step into the mayor’s role until the board appoints a new mayor. The seat will then be up for election in April.

This was the second time in about three years that the city’s mayor has resigned. Former mayor Jim Stahlman resigned in June 2006 after an angry discussion in the middle of a board meeting.

Link was elected to the seat in April in a three-way mayoral race with incumbent Jeff Mahurin and write-in candidate Jim St. James. He served one term on the board of aldermen in 1976.

Link also served on the Leadwood Park Board and is a member of Big River Watershed Group.

Paula Barr is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 172 or at pbarr@dailyjournalonline.com.