As he planted trees and trimmed shrubs in his yard Sunday, Mayor Brent Warr resigned himself to leaving office after only one term.
He announced his decision Tuesday on videotape as he and his wife prepare to fight Katrina fraud charges leveled against them in a 16-count federal indictment.
The 45-year-old mayor has said he plans to prove his innocence, but he doesn’t believe he can fight for his liberty and run for office at the same time.
“It breaks my heart to not be running,” Warr said in an exclusive interview with the Sun Herald on Tuesday afternoon.
“Everything that we’ve gotten set is moving fast and it’s going to happen. I’m going to push during my remaining time in office to make sure that it does.”
The mayor timed his announcement to be released after Tuesday’s City Council meeting so he could see through agenda items that included the council’s approval of a $21 million bid for construction of the Robert J. Curry Public Safety Center downtown.
Magnolia Tribune
