After 16 years as a council member and a commissioner, Tom King is resigning from the City Council effective July 1. King said he and his wife, Marjorie, have sold their house and are moving to Orange County. He will presumably attend his final city council meeting June 26.

“Some time ago, my wife and I decided to downsize our property in Walnut. We owned nearly an acre parcel. Since our children have grown and moved away, we felt we no longer needed such a large property for the two of us,” he said Wednesday during the council member comments of the regular City Council meeting.

“I have no regrets, as I know you will protect the Walnut way of life and remain committed to honest and open government,” he wrote in a letter to the City Council.

City Councilwoman Mary Su said the council was surprised by King’s announcement.

“I was so surprised last night,” she said Thursday. “So we will meet next week and we will discuss what to do next.”

The council must decide whether to hold a special election to fill King’s seat, or appoint an interim city council member. The next City Council election is April when King’s seat will be up.

“I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to,” King said Thursday. “The thing that was most important to me was protecting the open space, the Walnut Hills. It is what sets Walnut apart from other cities. That is what I’m proudest of.”

King served as mayor four times and is the current mayor, having been appointed mayor by his council colleagues in April.

Read more in Steve Scauzillo’s story KING.