The mayor of Willard has resigned – less than three hours before the city’s board of aldermen planned an impeachment hearing against him. But he's not giving up.
Sam Snider invited media and supporters to a coffee shop in Willard for an announcement late Thursday afternoon.
"The board is meeting in a few hours, and I don't believe it'll be a fair hearing," he told a small crowd gathered at The Hive. "But I do believe in the fairness of the citizens of Willard, so today I am resigning, and tomorrow I will begin anew to make clear to all Willard residents the choice is yours because I am also here to announce I am a candidate for mayor of Willard in April of 2024."
Snider acknowledged he’s made mistakes, and he said he apologized to the board for his part “in the discord.” But he said Willard is his hometown, and he’s not giving up on it.
He called the board “dysfunctional” and urged citizens to take action – by running for office or attending board meetings.
He said that’s what it’s going to take to solve the city’s problems.
"I think it's a matter of just more people getting involved and taking notice in local government and wanting to make a difference and wanting to make a change and, you know, running for seats," he said.
In the last election, no one ran for the board of aldermen in three wards. Write-in candidates won the election.
Just this week, a member of the board of aldermen – Corey Hendrickson -- was charged with embezzlement while working at Prime Inc. He resigned on Tuesday — the same day charges were filed against him. Hendrickson was Willard mayor for six years until Snider defeated him.
Willard resident Megan Applegate was at Snider’s announcement. She said she understands his decision. The mayor, she said, was facing a losing battle.
"As a citizen, I've seen lots of concerned citizens about the aldermen's behavior. There's lot of stuff on Facebook. I know that I've emailed them and heard nothing back from them," said Applegate. "It's just — I guess it's just very disheartening."
Willard resident Angie Wilson was at Snider’s announcement and said afterwards that it was “a sad day for the City of Willard.” But she said she’s glad he’s running again for mayor.
"We need someone who's committed to the City of Willard and has some ideas and has a plan," she said, "and I admire him for not backing down because he definitely will be up against a lot of opposition."
Snider was elected mayor in 2021 when he was 25. He served on the Willard Board of Aldermen for five years before that.