The mayor of a Northern Kentucky river town has resigned due to ongoing health issues.
Chris Wright, the mayor of Ludlow, announced he has stepped down as mayor after a long, continuing battle with health issues, according to a letter he posted on Facebook.
“Ludlow deserves someone that can give them 100% of his or her attention,” Wright wrote in an Aug. 27 letter. “And it has become undeniable to me that I need to focus on my health, my family, and my passion of educating students and athletes.”
Wright said he expects to make a full recovery but believes it would be best for someone else to finish his term as mayor in the meantime.
The Enquirer has reached out to Wright for more information.
A special Ludlow City Council meeting, scheduled before the mayor announced his resignation, is set for Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Ludlow Municipal Center. A city official told The Enquirer by phone its possible they will address the vacant mayoral position at this meeting.
“I have always attempted to make decisions based on the guiding principle of what is best for the overall community,” Wright wrote. “Whether we agree or disagree on what that ultimately is, I do challenge all elected officials to always attempt to keep that principle as their guiding light.”
Wright served four years on Ludlow’s city council and three years as mayor.
During his tenure as councilman, Wright found himself in the middle of a dispute between former Ludlow Mayor Josh Boone and former City Administrator Elisha Chamberlain, who was ultimately fired in 2019. Scott Smith, Ludlow’s police chief at the time, was chosen to fill Chamberlain’s seat in the interim. Smith remains as the city administrator today.
City council has 30 days to appoint a new mayor to finish Wright’s term.
A special city council meeting, scheduled before Wright announced his resignation, is set for tonight, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Ludlow Municipal Center. A city official told The Enquirer by phone its possible they will address the vacant mayoral position this evening.
The 4,300-person town in Kenton County, Kentucky, sits on the Ohio River, west of Covington and near Devou Park.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Northern Kentucky river town mayor resigns due to health issues