One month into term, Corpus Christi mayor abruptly resigns via Facebook

About a month after being sworn in, Corpus Christi Mayor Dan McQueen announced his resignation in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon, asserting that he could "no longer deal with such differing views and divisiveness," according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

“Consider this my resignation,” McQueen posted to Facebook at around 2 p.m. according to the Caller-Times. “I resign immediately. The city can no longer deal with such differing views and divisiveness. I step down from my position as Mayor, in order to allow the council and city to regain focus on success."

"Sorry, they are now into my ex-wives and kids," McQueen continued. "Nothing good will come from that mess."

McQueen has also submitted his resignation to the city secretary, according to the Caller-Times. 

City Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn, who is the mayor pro tem and will lead the council in McQueen's place, told the Caller-Times she “appreciated” McQueen’s decision to resign and that rules are being discussed on how to proceed. 

McQueen was sworn in as mayor just over a month ago on Dec. 13, after unseating Nelda Martinez in the November elections. Since there is more than a year left in his term, the Caller-Times reported that there will likely be a special election to fill the position.

In another Facebook post, published earlier Wednesday, McQueen condemned the council for being “comprised of only high school graduates” and emphasized his engineering credentials to explain why he, as “the most educated and experienced person on council,” was attacked.  

The Corpus Christi city council does include members with college degrees, according to the Caller-Times.

Martinez told The Texas Tribune on Wednesday evening that she found out about McQueen's resignation at the same time as the public. She said McQueen did the right thing in resigning and expressed optimism for the future of the city.

"We will deal with this challenge and struggle through it, but we will come out stronger than ever," Martinez said. "We do have eight very capable city council members, and city business will continue."

Martinez also did not immediately rule out another run for mayor.

“Knowing how much I love our city and believe in our city, it’s a valid question to ask," she said. "I’m asking myself the same question.”

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