Norman Ward 2 City Councilmember and OU Professor Matt McGarry will resign from the seat he won just over a month ago.
In a Thursday afternoon interview with The Daily, McGarry confirmed he would resign as Ward 2's councilmember, effective March 23. McGarry said although the move was unplanned, he was offered a notable position related to his field of study but chose not to reveal the title yet. The new job will move McGarry out of Norman.
McGarry was sworn into office Feb. 25 and attended two council meetings during his tenure as Ward 2 councilmember. McGarry said he will attend the March 23 meeting.
McGarry is the Russian language program coordinator at OU, according to his faculty biography. In addition to teaching the language, McGarry has conducted research on Russian literature, specifically "on ethics of history and the rhetoric of reading in Russian prose and poetry."
"I might catch flak from a lot of people. ... People might say, 'Well why would you run for council if you were going to leave,'" McGarry said. "This wasn't planned, but it is a position you just can't say no to. ... People in this field, where there’s really only two or three ‘real’ jobs, will respect that."
At 6 a.m. Friday, McGarry said a public statement will be issued on Facebook later Friday morning.
According to official results from the Oklahoma State Election Board website, McGarry secured 51.34 percent of Ward 2 votes during the Feb. 9 municipal elections. The only other candidate to receive significant votes in Ward 2 was Unite-Norman-backed Jay Wendorff, who received 42.25 percent of votes.
McGarry's short tenure continues a trend in Ward 2 over the last year. Former Ward 2 Councilmember L. David Perry died unexpectedly in August 2020, less than two months after being sworn into the office he won in the February 2020 municipal elections.
Following Perry's death, Ward 2 passed to Joe Carter, who was appointed by the council during its Oct. 13, 2020 meeting. Carter, who had previously served as Ward 2 councilmember from 2018 to 2020, did not seek reelection in the February 2021 contest.
According to Article II, Section 22 of the Norman city charter, a vacancy created by resignation will be filled "by a majority vote of the remaining members of the City Council" until the next municipal election, which will be held alongside regularly scheduled elections to fill the remaining term.
McGarry's successor will hold the seat until the Feb. 2022 municipal elections if the city council chooses to fill the seat by appointment within 60 days. If not, a special election will be called to fill the seat, according to the charter.
Jillian Taylor contributed to this report.
