By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — Councilman Thomas Berry announced he was no longer resigning from the council but still does not want to be re-elected to the council.
The announcement came during the council’s May 23 meeting.
Berry originally announced his resignation May 16, saying he no longer could make the sacrifices demanded of a public servant.
His name will appear on the general election ballot in August because the deadline to withdraw has passed, but he said he didn’t want anyone to vote for him.
Councilwoman Marge Horvath said she was glad Berry decided to stay on the council, but questioned whether he was sure about the decision.
Berry said his decision to resign came while he was preparing for a fundraiser with campaign consultants due to the election year and him seeking re-election. He said that as that meeting was ending and he needed to prepare a speech, Berry said he realized he could not give his full effort much longer.
“One of the biggest pains in public service is the sacrifice a person has to make of himself and of his family,” he said regarding his resignation announcement May 16. “Unfortunately, I don’t feel that I’m in a position to give you 110 percent and I think that it’s unfair for me to stand before a group of people and say that if you give me your money, if you vote for me I will give you 110 percent of my time.”
Berry continued to say that at the time he decided he could not serve on the council anymore because he would be lying to the people and taking their money without getting what the expect of him.
As for the upcoming election, it is to late for Berry to withdraw his name form the ballot, but told those in attendance and watching the meeting not to vote for him.
“You have qualified candidates you have people with good intentions, people who are intelligent enough to perform up here,” he said. “I think you should make every effort to look into their resumes and chose from them, don’t chose from me.”
Berry, who has served almost 12 years on the council, said he wants to finish his term out and continue to be involved with events and meetings.
“I love this city, I enjoy doing what I did, but I need to turn inward,” he said May 23. “I decided that maybe resigning today was not the responsible thing to do and the most responsible thing to do is to tough it out. Thank you, council, for your support and the residents for all the phone calls and text messages and getting me to think as the responsible person I should be.”
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)