FORT WORTH — Openly gay City Councilman Joel Burns announced Tuesday night he is resigning his seat.
Burns stepped down in order to attend a yearlong, mid-career program with the Harvard Kennedy School, where he once attended a summer program and went back in the last few years as a guest lecturer in the summer.
“It is an amazing honor and an incredible opportunity that I never would have thought possible,” Burns said. “I was excited to accept Harvard’s invitation last week. But it’s a bittersweet moment because participating in this program means choosing to step out of this seat here on the City Council and say goodbye to what has truly been a life-changing experience I could have never imagined then and particularly not even when I got elected in 2007. So tonight, with a mix of pride, excitement and a little bit of sadness, I am announcing my resignation.”
Burns said the announcement was not “an easy one” and he’d remember the work he’d acompished on the council and focus on the work to do before his time on the council expires this summer. He also didn’t rule out another political run after the yearlong program, saying that his political future is up to the voters.
Burns got his start in Fort Worth when state Sen. Wendy Davis appointed him to the city Zoning Commission, and he later went on to run and win her seat when she left the council to run for the Senate in 2007. He was re-elected last year to a third full two-year term.
Burns was a favorite to replace her in the Senate as well when she announced her bid for governor. He considered running but decided against it to remain on the City Council.
In his announcement, Burns said the resignation would be effective this summer, but Mayor Betsy Price advised him that because of technicalities, his resignation would be effective immediately. Burns will remain in his position until he is replaced in a May election.
Read more of this story in a follow-up.
