Dear Editor:

I personally voted for Rick Rodriguez and he has done a great job as a council member and mayor, but he should resign from the City Council due to his health issues.

Mayor Rodriguez has missed multiple City Council meetings, and from what the city manager said, he will miss more meetings. This leaves me and all of District 3 without a voice in our city government. Mayor Rodriguez did not vote on multiple hearings, reports and other items on the City Council agenda. Some of the items he didn’t vote on are issues relating to massage parlors, lot splitting, the new tax that could be placed on next year’s ballot, and the bus shelter cleaning contract.

Mayor Rodriguez was not at the City Council meeting to hear the public concerns of affordable housing for the group that lives in his district.

The city manager said Mayor Rodriguez has been trying to push himself to come back to the council. I truly appreciate the effort, but at what cost? His health is more important than being mayor. Let someone else who is in better health be responsible to aid the residents.

Mayor Rodriguez needs to take the time to recover and allow the residents of District 3 the representation they deserve. Residents deserve a voice in government. Mayor Rodriguez needs to resign, not only for the residents of District 3, but for those who are most important: himself and his family.

Jessica Ortega
Downey