Longtime Hoschton City Councilman Jim Cleveland said in a newspaper interview he won't give voters in Hoschton the satisfaction of turning him out of office; he said he'll resign from office instead.
Cleveland told the Atlanta Journal Constitution he'll resign before a January 14 recall election, although he did not give a specific date for his departure. He also told the newspaper he plans to move out of Hoschton.
Cleveland came under fire when he defended Mayor Teresa Kenerly after she refused to accept a resume from a black candidate who wanted to apply for the city administrator's job in Hoschton. Kenerly reportedly told other council members Hoschton was not ready to have an African American as a city leader.
Kenerly is also part of the recall election. The AJC article did not indicate what Kenerly's plans might be.
Voters also were upset by Cleveland's remarks that he did not believe in interracial marriage because of his Christian upbringing in South Georgia.
Cleveland also told the newspaper his comments have been misunderstood, and he said he is not a racist.
