Jim Richards has stepped down as a commissioner in Lady Lake.
The Village of Country Club Hills resident continues to hold the record as the town’s longest serving mayor. He was replaced as mayor earlier this week by Commissioner Ruth Kussard, also a Villager.
Richards recently returned home after a stint at UF Health-The Villages Hospital where he was on dialysis. He had been in a rehabilitation facility in The Villages for months before that after complications resulting from surgery.
“It was time,” the 77-year-old said in a phone interview with Villages-News.com. “The town is in good shape. Financially, Lady Lake is in good shape. It’s time for some new blood.”
The commission will be appointing a successor to fill out the remainder of Richards’ term in Ward 5. The appointee must be a resident of Ward 5.
“The Town of Lady Lake is grateful for his leadership and the valuable contributions he made to the Town Commission during his tenure. Commissioner/Mayor Richards had served on the Town Commission since 2007,” interim Town Manager Thad Carroll said.
