Update: Soon after this story was published, an Aug. 7 court filing became public showing that Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee was indicted on federal bribery charges. You can read the indictment here. This is a developing story.
The original story is below:
Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee unexpectedly resigned from her position on Wednesday morning without explanation, prompting an upcoming special election to fill her now-vacant Ward 2 seat in the Mississippi capital.
“Circumstances that I am not at liberty to discuss at the moment, have led to this decision,” Lee wrote in a letter to her colleagues at 9:30 a.m.
Council President Virgi Lindsay announced the resignation in a press conference at City Hall in Mississippi’s capital city this morning.
Lee, the daughter of civil rights activist Mary Harrison Lee and businessman Gene Lee, won a special election for the Ward 2 Jackson City Council seat after former Councilman Melvin Priester resigned in 2020.
“It has been my tremendous honor to serve the constituents of Ward 2 and the people of the City of Jackson as a whole,” Lee said in the letter. “I would like to personally extend my gratitude to all of my neighborhood association presidents for all of their support and prayers throughout my tenure.”
The Jackson City Council held a brief press conference this morning where Lindsay read a prepared statement.
“As president of the city council, it is with a heavy heart that I have accepted her resignation. Under these unfortunate circumstances, the Ward 2 seat is now vacant,” Lindsay said. “My intent today is to reassure the people of the City of Jackson that the urgent legislative affairs of the city will continue uninterrupted.”
“Because this unexpired term in Ward 2 is greater than six months, the City Council is required under Mississippi law to meet within the next 10 days and order a special election which must take place on a day between 30 and 45 days from the day of our meeting,” she continued.
The resignation comes after several tumultuous years for the City of Jackson, including the 2022 Jackson water crisis, years of wrangling between the mayor and the City Council over a garbage contract, and an FBI raid in May targeting Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens’ office and his private business that also included a visit to City Hall. Authorities still have not revealed the reason for the recent raid.
In a separate statement after Lee’s resignation this morning, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said he was saddened to hear of Lee’s decision.
“On behalf of the entire city, I want to express my deep gratitude for her service and dedication. We will miss her leadership on the council, but we know she will continue to be a passionate advocate for our community in other ways,” the mayor said. “The process to fill the vacancy on the City Council will begin immediately, and I encourage all interested and qualified individuals to consider serving in this important role.”
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