LA MARQUE – The City Council accepted the resignation of City Manager J.B. Pritchett on Monday, marking a sudden end to his short tenure just two months after stepping into the role.

The decision followed a specially called meeting, during which the council met behind closed doors for about an hour to discuss concerns involving potential discrepancies found in Pritchett’s application materials. While the exact nature of those discrepancies was not made public, they were serious enough to prompt official review and ultimately Pritchett’s voluntary departure.

City Attorney Gus Knebel told the Galveston County Daily News that he received Pritchett’s resignation letter early Monday morning, ahead of the meeting. The council then returned from executive session and voted unanimously to accept it.

“Today is a sad day for our city because we most certainly want the best for our residents, and today that did not happen,” said Mayor Keith Bell during the meeting, expressing disappointment over the situation’s outcome.

Pritchett had only recently been selected as city manager following what officials previously described as a thorough hiring process. His departure leaves the city once again searching for leadership in a critical administrative role.

This story was originally reported by The Galveston County Daily News.

Photo credit: City of La Marque