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Hess to step down from Alpena council

Alpena Councilwoman Amber Hess is expected to resign from the board tonight.

ALPENA — The Alpena Municipal Council will be down to four members, if it accepts the letter of resignation from Councilwoman Amber Hess, who is moving out of the city.

The effective date for her resignation would be Aug. 20.

Elected in 2017, Hess said she intended to run for another term, but has decided to move further out into Alpena County.

In her letter, she said even though she will no longer live within the city limits, Alpena will always be special to her.

“Alpena is my home, and even though my address will change a little, I shall always consider myself to be Alpena Amber,” she said. “Please note that I claimed that name before Austin Brothers named their beer the same.”

Hess said she will miss being involved in the decision making process, and setting the stage for Alpena’s future. Over the last several years, Hess said, she learned a lot about the issues in the city, as well as the people who live there.

“I seriously enjoyed it and found it to be very educational,” she said. “I appreciate the opportunity I was given to represent the people of Alpena.”

After Hess steps down, the council will have 30 days to appoint a replacement, Alpena Clerk Anna Soik said.

In a statement from City Manager Rachel Smolinski, a candidate must be at least 18 years old or older, must be a U.S. citizen, may not be in default to the city, school district, county, or other municipal corporation, and must be registered to vote in the city. A candidate must be a resident of the city for at least one year.

The potential candidates will be interviewed by the council and may be limited to select candidates depending on the number it receives, Smolinski said in her statement.

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