Calamaras calls it quits
Mayor submits letter of resignation effective "sometime in late May"
-- John Patten, 03/27/05
-- jpatten@veniceflorida.com

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"Recent circumstances have given us the opportunity to retire"
With Federal indictments still looming over as-yet-unknown city officials in the EPA's criminal investigation of the City of Venice and with a civil rights lawsuit aimed at the mayor over the arrest of Herb Levine at a city budget meeting several years back, Mayor Dean Calamaras has decided to call it quits.

On Friday, March 24, Calamaras submitted a letter of resignation to all council members and charter officers. According to the letter, the resignation is effective "sometime in late May."

The letter is dated nine days after the mayor was featured on the national news site, Fark.

The mayor avoids addressing the above issues in his letter and instead focuses on a cheery and bright future based on an opportunity afforded to him in "recent circumstances."

Calamaras' letter of resignation reads, in total, as follows:

CITY OF VENICE
Office of the Mayor
Interoffice Memorandum

TO: Venice City Council
FROM: Dean Calamaras, Mayor
DATE: March 24, 2006
RE: Retirement

Barbara and I have been planning to retire next year after completion of my term as Mayor, but recent circumstances have given us the opportunity to retire earlier than we had planned. I have been able to sell my home and business, which affords us the opportunity to retire this year. We are in the midst of planning our retirement for this summer, sometime in late May. This will necessitate my resigning as Mayor. I want to give plenty of notice so that council could start thinking about a temporary replacement for me, as Mayor, and also a temporary replacement of the Councilmember who will serve as Mayor. This is a huge step for us and we have given it a lot of thought but at this time we would like to take advantage of early retirement.

Plans are still in flux, I am working on the final date for my resignation and will inform you as soon as I have firm date. This will be a bittersweet experience; I will be sad to leave because of my long involvement (about 24 years) with the city of Venice and the support I have enjoyed from the citizens but I am looking forward to the opportunity to do all those things Barbara and I have been putting off because we never had time for them.

Cc: Charter Officers

 

John Patten is the head of Web Operations for Creative Pages, and has worked in broadcasting for over 12 years. He can also be incredibly rude at times.