Altamont Mayor Dan Milleville submitted his letter of resignation to City Clerk Sarah Stephen Tuesday after serving in the position for just over a year.
In his resignation letter, Milleville explained his decision to step down as mayor, claiming that what he believes to be the council’s inability to work together to solve issues is impeding progress in the city. Milleville was sworn in as mayor in May of 2023.
“I have always given my heart and soul to the responsibilities of mayor, but it has now come to a time where I can no longer go forward dealing with the chaos of my council,” Milleville said in the letter. “As mayor, I looked to my council to be problem solvers rather than always pointing out problems with no solutions.”
Milleville also thanked those that helped assist him in his transition from commissioner to mayor and said he wishes “all the best” for Altamont’s residents.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the city of Altamont as a city councilman and your mayor,” he said in the letter.
Although his resignation is sudden, Milleville said in an interview Wednesday that he has been considering leaving his position for quite some time. He said disagreements among council members like the one that occurred during the council’s meeting Monday have made it difficult for him to continue serving as mayor.
“I knew going in it was going to be a precarious council. I thought I could do it, and I always swore that I’d never quit,” Milleville said in the interview. “That last meeting Monday night, that was the straw.”
During the meeting Monday, the council failed to carry a motion to approve the sale of city property located at 107 N. Main St. A motion to sell the property failed after commissioners heard from another potential buyer, Tyler Polk, who told council members that he doesn’t think the city seriously considered an offer he made for the property.
“I’d like a shot at buying it,” Tyler Polk said during the meeting Monday. “I just don’t think I got a fair shake at it.”
Altamont City Commissioner Tayler Polk abstained from acting on or discussing the proposed sale because Tyler Polk is his brother. However, Commissioners Mike Walker and Jason Rippetoe criticized Milleville’s handling of the negotiation, and argued that the city should have considered both offers in a sealed bid.
“With two bidders, that kind of changes things,” Rippetoe said during the meeting. “Theoretically, the city could receive more money.”
“I was just thinking that same thing, actually. You beat me to it,” Walker said during the meeting. “Why don’t we put two bids on the table?”
Milleville said he stopped negotiating with Tyler Polk after he said he wouldn’t offer more than $5,000 for the property. Milleville explained that he wanted $12,500 for the property and wanted to wait for a higher offer, and the offer the council considered Monday was for $9,000.
“I hadn’t even thought about sealed bids,” Milleville said during the meeting. “So when he said to me that it’s only worth $5,000 to him, I should have laughed at him and kept working with him?”
Additionally, Walker asked Milleville why he didn’t mention Tyler Polk’s offer to the council before the meeting, but City Clerk Stephen said Milleville was not required to do so.
“Dan was in his right. We checked with our attorney,” Stephen said during the meeting. “It’s TIF property, and he’s allowed to do that.”
Despite his concerns, Walker made a motion to approve the sale of the property, but it failed.
Since he became mayor, Milleville has urged commissioners to work as a team, but he now believes that his efforts to transform the council have been in vain. On his first day as mayor, Milleville handed each commissioner a mirror and asked them to hold themselves accountable, rather than criticizing other council members.
“I said that the night I kicked off my new council,” Milleville said during the interview Wednesday. “I said, ‘The only thing holding you back is you, and if you’re not where you want to be, look in the mirror. No finger pointing.’ You can’t make progress when you’re doing that.”
Milleville’s resignation came as a surprise to members of the council, including Commissioner Terry White, who was out of town during the meeting Monday and came home to discover that Milleville had stepped down.
“My head is still reeling about this thing,” White said in an interview Thursday. “I cannot say specifically what caused this resignation, but I feel like it was something that happened at that meeting that I was not at.”
In light of Milleville’s claim in his resignation letter that the council has been chaotic, White urges residents to begin attending more council meetings to help weigh in on issues and pressure the council to find common ground.
“I personally don’t believe I’m a player in that statement, but I don’t know. We don’t need to point fingers at anybody right now,” White said regarding Milleville’s resignation letter. “I realize everybody has busy lives, but when there’s something that affects them, they should be present to offer their thoughts and opinions on it. And hopefully, that will maybe guide everybody. My purpose on this council is to serve the people’s interests and nothing outside of that.”
While he’s sad to see Milleville leave the council, White thinks his resignation could be a much needed “wake-up call” for council members, and he said he remains “steadfast” in his commitment to Altamont’s residents.
“It hurts my heart to see him gone. It really does,” White said. “He was 100% dedicated to the people in the community.”
Although he was also shocked to learn about Milleville’s resignation, Rippetoe pushed back against his claim that the council has been chaotic and said that disagreeing on issues is a common aspect of democracy.
“The council has worked together. I mean, you can go back and look through votes and see that things were progressing in Altamont. It wasn’t like Altamont wasn’t doing anything,” Rippetoe said in an interview Thursday. “Each member has a vote. Everybody doesn’t always vote together. They disagree on things, but there was no chaos. The city was moving forward.”
Tayler Polk was also surprised when he heard the news of Milleville’s resignation, but he declined to comment on the claims Milleville made about the council in his resignation letter.
“It kind of caught me off guard,” Tayler Polk said in an interview Wednesday. “I definitely did not see it coming. I wish Dan well in all his future endeavors if he plans to pursue anything.”
Altamont residents will have the opportunity to elect a new mayor in the general election on Nov. 5. In the meantime, Altamont City Commissioner Mike Walker will serve as mayor pro tem. Walker declined to comment when asked about Milleville’s resignation.