Texarkana, Texas City Council member Tina Veal-Gooch resigned her position during last night's council meeting.

The Ward 3 representative has been on the council since being elected in 2009. In a letter read at last night's meeting, Veal-Gooch cited her passion for volunteer work as the main reason that she is stepping down from the council.

"I have come to the realization that the time has come for me to move on from the role of city councilwoman and back to what I love most, volunteer work. Whether it is reading to an Alzheimer's patient, working on a community fundraiser or assisting area youth, I feel the need to get back to the work which truly fills my heart."

The process for filling the vacant council seat will begin this Friday, December 16, at 11:30AM at a special called meeting of the city council. At that meeting, the council will consider adopting a resolution formally accepting the resignation, including a procedure for filling the vacancy. In that resolution, the procedure proposed will likely include accepting applications until January 3.

The council is expected to interview interested candidates during the first regularly scheduled meeting of the new year on January 9. If a suitable candidate is found, the applicant will be sworn in and take office during that council meeting.

Candidates residing in Ward 3 who are interested in applying for the council vacancy should submit a letter of interest stating qualifications to the City Secretary before 5PM on January 3.

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