TONTITOWN, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Paul Colvin Jr., the Mayor of Tontitown, resigned at noon on December 22.

UPDATE – December 23: The City of Tontitown offices are closed for the holidays, but KNWA/FOX24 obtained a copy of Colvin’s resignation letter, dated December 22, 2021.

Please accept this letter as my resignation effective immediately as Mayor of the City of Tontitown. While I have faithfully served as Mayor for the past six and a half years, I feel that it is time for me to resign my position immediately. My hope is that the city council will select someone that will keep the city and its citizens concerns at the forefront of his or her decisions. Thank you for your dedicated service to me and my staff as well as the City of Tontitown.

Paul Colvin Jr.

Tontitown City Attorney Justin Eichmann stated that there are no other responsive or relevant documents at this time, and that city staff and officials had no advance knowledge of the letter or any other communications regarding the resignation.

When KNWA/FOX24 contacted Colvin and asked for a reason for his decision, he replied via texts, “Apparently the City Council can do a better job of running the city than me. I wish them well.”

Colvin was elected to the position in 2014. A pre-election lawsuit alleged that he was not actually a resident of Tontitown, and was only claiming to live at his mother’s residence.

“Colvin is attempting to circumvent Arkansas law by claiming to have moved into the incorporated city limits of Tontitown so that he can run for the position of mayor,” the lawsuit stated.

The court ruled in Colvin’s favor, leaving him on the ballot, and he was elected with 51.35% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2018.