CLEARWATER - Amid the increasing rumors about his future, Clearwater City Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton announced at Monday's work session meeting that he will be resigning his Council seat and moving to Atlanta.
While he said, "Clearwater will always be home," Hamilton's ties to the Atlanta area are also strong. The Hamilton family has three generations of history with Georgia Tech, Hoyt being a 1980 graduate, his father Harold a 1957 graduate, and his two sons, Drew and Brad, currently attending as undergraduate students.
Hamilton said that many of his friends in Atlanta have encouraged him to come back in recent years, but the time was not right. "Now, with both boys in Atlanta, the time is right," he said.
Although he has not yet accepted a job in Atlanta, Hamilton's background in athletic management and history with Georgia Tech point toward some involvement with the University's athletic department. Hamilton was a student manager of the Georgia Tech men's basketball team while an undergraduate there.
Hamilton said that his resignation would be effective on November 30, adding another Council race to the City's March 2007 election. Council member Bill Jonson's seat will become vacant due to term limits, and Vice Mayor Carlen Petersen's seat will be up for grabs. The addition of Hamilton's seat will assure that new faces will occupy at least two of the five Council seats next year.
The Clearwater City Charter requires that the remaining Council members make an attempt to fill Hamilton's vacant seat from December 1 until his successor is elected in March 2007. The Council discussed appointing a replacement during Monday's work session, expressing a desire to fill it, but not with anyone interested in becoming a candidate during the election. Mayor Frank Hibbard stated that he did not want to "create an incumbent."