After about 10 months on the job, La Pine City Councilor Darlene Jordt has resigned.

Jordt, who was appointed in May, is the fourth councilor to step down since December 2006, when five councilors took office.

Now, only Councilor Kitty Shields and Mayor Stu Martinez remain of the original five, and Shields said they plan to be more thorough when hiring the next councilor.

Jordt officially resigned by telephone at a City Council meeting on Wednesday. She did not return calls seeking comment Thursday, but councilors said Jordt told them she resigned because of family issues and a demanding work schedule. She was self-employed when she sought the post, she wrote in a resignation letter, but now she has a job out of town and is caring for elderly parents.

“I would like to say that I have a sense of satisfaction in the things we have accomplished during my participation,” her letter stated. “I had hoped that I would be able to continue to be of service to my community, but with so little time to spare I feel like I should step aside and let someone else who has the time join in.”

Jordt, a real estate agent who has lived in La Pine for about 30 years, was appointed to replace Ann Thomas, who moved to Eugene. Councilors appointed her in May.

The mayor said Jordt interacted well with the public.

“She was approachable and really took to heart what the people had to say,” Martinez said. “People could approach her, and she didn’t have that ‘I know everything about government’ attitude. She readily admitted she didn’t know a lot about government, and was willing to learn.”

Shields was impressed with Jordt’s eager attitude at the council meetings.

“I was pleased with her as a councilor,” Shields said. “She thought issues through and often brought a different perspective to the table than the others.”

At this point, Shields said the City Council is in no hurry to fill Jordt’s position.

Councilor Jesse Daggett resigned in October to be more involved with the Roman Catholic Church. Luana Damerval, one of the original councilors, became La Pine’s first city recorder.

Because of the turnover, Shields said next time they plan to ask candidates about how long they expect to remain a councilor.

“We’re going to take our time and maybe do a little better interviewing to try to get someone who can give us a reasonable assurance about being long term on the council,” Shields said.

La Pine council

For more information about working in the La Pine City Council, call 536-1432.