Washington mayor expected to resign Tuesday night

WASHINGTON — A Washington City Council Agenda posted on Friday included action items to accept a resignation from Mayor Jaron Rosien, and consider holding a special election to fill his position.

Two city council members said they expected Rosien to submit a resignation letter before the start of the 6 p.m. meeting, but that the mayor had not yet sent them anything in writing.

Rosien provided a draft of the not-yet-mailed resignation letter, but declined a request for further comments.

“I have struggled immensely with this decision,” the draft said. “I ran for office to better our community. And I keep returning to the question of what is best for the City of Washington. Ultimately, continuing on with a leave of absence slows progress.”

The draft names a resignation date of March 1, 2024.

City officials increasingly called on Rosien to step down from his mayoral position as he passed the 1-year mark on a voluntary, unpaid leave of absence while facing charges for third degree sexual abuse. Last month, the council voted to send a letter to the mayor, formally asking him to resign.

Rosien has pleaded not guilty to the criminal allegation, but his case has lingered in the court system longer than initially expected. The latest pretrial conference ended in the fourth continuance of proceedings since charges were announced in January of 2023. The next such conference is set for May 10, with a trial to follow on May 21, although previous court records suggested the parties involved were engaged in plea negotiations.

Reached for comments on Monday, some city council members said they were relieved to see the discussion on their docket, saying the past year was rife with uncertainty about long-term goals, with Mayor Pro Tem Millie Youngquist serving in her backup leadership role for much longer than usual.

“It’s time to put someone in the mayor’s position that wants to be there,” Council Member Fran Stigers said. “Not that Millie’s not doing a great job, she’s doing a great job, but that’s not what she signed up for.”

It’s not clear exactly when the race would happen, if the council does opt to fill the expected vacancy via ballot box.

Iowa law requires a 46-day notice to the county auditor before holding a city election, but forbids them within a week of pre-established election dates, like the general election in November. That leaves a sizable chunk of the year, starting in April, when Washington residents might be called upon to cast a vote.

Youngquist said she felt confident about the city’s position in the meantime, as the local government hits budget-planning season.

“I think that we’ve kept the city going, we’ve done everything we should at the appropriate times,” she said. “I don’t feel that it’s been all that rocky, just the uncertainty of it, perhaps … has made it difficult, but I (think) we’re in good shape.”

While a resignation letter would put the wheels in motion to pick a new mayor, elected officials said they recognized it would not be a quick path back to business as usual.

Council Member Patrick Morgan — who proposed the letter calling for Rosien’s resignation last month — said the future was still foggy.

“Having the resignation, OK, that’s a step,” Morgan said. “There’s still uncertainty, right? Do we have an individual or a candidate out there that wants to be the mayor? … I think this is the first step in removing that uncertainty, that doubt, but we’ve still got a few steps to go yet before we get there.”

Few names spring to mind about who would replace Rosien, if his resignation and a subsequent vacancy-filling election come to pass. The mayor ran unopposed for re-election in 2021.

Asked about the possibility of putting her name on the ballot, Youngquist said she was “thinking of it,” but had not yet decided.

Whoever throws their name in the hat will have big shoes to fill. Rosien’s time in office established him as a powerhouse of municipal politics and a fierce advocate for Washington.

The mayor’s list of accomplishments include an assertive stance in negotiations involving an international railroad merger, compromise-seeking on an overhaul to the municipal parking ordinance, steering the city through a pandemic and a history of volunteerism with local nonprofits, to name a few.

Some city decision-makers stressed that they considered the call for Rosien’s departure apolitical, driven only by his year of absence from the mayor’s chair, not his ambitions for the city.

“Jaron is welcome to run as mayor after he deals with and resolves his legal matters,” said City Council Member Ivan Rangel. “Don't take it wrong, he was great at being mayor. But now we need someone in that position to take the reins on and deal with the issues in Washington full-time.”

Others, however, have said their wish for Rosien’s exit was motivated by his alleged conduct at the bar he owns in early 2023.

Council Member Elaine Moore, for instance, called on the mayor to step down at the first public meeting after news of the criminal accusation broke.

“Jaron took an oath to be a leader of this community and a representative of Washington throughout this state,” she said in February of 2023. “I believe his actions, whether judged a criminal offense or not, shows that Jaron is no longer able to carry out the oath of office.”

Moore was unavailable for comments on Monday.

Council Member Illa Earnest declined to comment on the expected resignation, since it had not yet come before the decision-making body.

Details about the anticipated resignation and special election discussion were absent from the council’s meeting materials packet, also published online Friday. The Union has not submitted a public record request for emails or documents regarding the agenda items, as City Hall was closed on Monday for Presidents Day.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com