Pottsville Mayor Dave Clews officially resigned from office on Monday evening.
City Council members voted 2-1 to accept his resignation. Dottie Botto voted against, albeit ceremoniously, accepting Clews’ resignation.
And for the last time, Clews slammed the gavel to adjourn the final City Council meeting over which he’ll preside.
“Thank you very much. I loved being your Mayor,” Clews said.
Last month, Clews said he was stepping down due to health concerns and to focus on his role as a grandfather.
During a brief farewell on Monday, Clews said, “In the front row are one of the big reasons I’m stepping down as Mayor. Mayor is a wonderful title but Pappy is even better.”
Clews also praised the City’s fire department and said of his time working with the Bureau of Police, “It’s been a great three-year ride.”
He also heaped praise on the City’s Recreation Commission.
But the balance of his farewell focused on the thing that makes Pottsville unique from most of the other communities in Schuylkill County, if not only because of its size. That would be its well-defined neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods in Pottsville, in some areas of the city more than others, have changed over the years. Clews said that his mission was to restore pride in Pottsville, especially through the neighborhoods.
When he moved back to Pottsville and eventually ran for office, first as a City Councilman and then as Mayor, Clews moved back to the home where he grew up, in the 500 block of Greenwood Ave.
He told those in attendance Monday that that neighborhood hasn’t changed.
“When I got into this, it was about Pottsville and having pride. It was also about being neighborhoods again. The 500 block of Greenwood Ave. is almost as intact as it was 30 years ago. It’s wonderful to have that kind of environment in the city. And I think it’s so important,” Clews said.
Some neighborhoods in Pottsville aren’t as fortunate to have that level of consistency over the years. Clews probably hopes that changes, even following his time as Mayor.
“We had neighborhoods and you gave a damn about your neighborhoods. If you were the problem in the neighborhood and not being part of the neighborhood, I have a suggestion … move,” Clews said.
City Council members now have 30 days to come to a majority consensus on who will replace Clews as Mayor. The seat is up for election in 2025.
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