The small town of Dozier is undergoing some big changes as it is now in the process of looking for a new mayor and a new town clerk.

At a special called meeting of the Dozier Town Council on Thursday, Dec. 18, Dozier Mayor Kay Moody presented Town Clerk Mary Jo Dozier’s resignation to the council, according to council member Karen Davis.

“At the end of the meeting, she handed us her resignation as well,” Davis said.

Both Moody and Dozier’s terms will end on Dec. 31.

Moody was the first female mayor to be elected to the town of Dozier. She had just been sworn into office Nov. 3.

“I guess that she (Moody) wanted to pick up and move on with other things in her life, especially family things,” Dozier Police Chief Terry Mears said, “and Mrs. Mary Jo (Dozier) is a wealth of knowledge. We’ll miss her, too.”

“No problems have come up to my knowledge,” Mary Jo Dozier said, concerning the Mayor’s resignation. “She didn’t tell me why and I didn’t ask her.”

Council member Karen Davis was voted in as Mayor Pro-Tem at the Dec. 18 meeting. The town is presently taking resumes for a new town clerk.

But Davis admitted that some things had been different since the new administration took office in November. The Council is comprised of Jane Ellison, Linda Hutto, Abbie Langston, Jannie Bush, and Davis.

“The meetings are different now,” Davis said. “Before, no one came to our meetings, and now people are coming out of the woodwork.”

Davis described how townspeople would speak out of turn in the middle of a council meeting whether they were on the meeting’s agenda or not, which is not the proper protocol for executing a council meeting.

The next regular council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 12, at 6 p.m. At that time, Davis will have it on the agenda for the Council to nominate and elect a new mayor.

As for Moody’s resignation, Davis wasn’t sure of the reason.

“I don’t know if it’s a personal thing or not—she has not said to me,” Davis said. “I’m sure she thought about it before she did it…I hate to see her go. We have some good people on our council, and I hope we can pick up and move forward.”

The Luverne Journal attempted to reach Moody for her comments, but she could not be reached by press time.