Mobile City Councilmember Scott Jones, who represents District 6, announced he was resigning from the council at Tuesday’s city council meeting, in a move that stunned the rest of the council.

“For these reasons and a few others that I will say at a later date, I am resigning my position as city councilor,” Jones said. “I’m not resigning from service, I’m just changing positions from where I serve.”

Jones said he was resigning over the city’s continued relationship with AltaPointe Health Systems, the largest mental health provider in the region and the mental health authority for the region designated by the state.

Jones has long criticized AltaPointe for what he says is continued issues with patient care and safety. Last week, Jones opposed a grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice for a behavioral health emergency response program and the re-appointment of Mary Stewart Nelson to the AltaPointe board.

Nelson’s appointment failed at Tuesday’s meeting, after five councilmembers abstained from voting.

But the move was a shock to the rest of the council and the city administration, who sat momentarily stunned after he made the announcement. Jones made the announcement at the end of the meeting, after council business had largely concluded.

City Council President C.J. Small told reporters after the meeting that he was “speechless.”

As recently as yesterday, Jones made comments on the city of Mobile’s efforts to annex territory west of the city, and during Tuesday’s meeting, he voted on items put before the city council.

Jones said he would not make any public comment after he made his announcement, but when pressed by AL.com reporters, said his resignation would be effective at the end of the month.

He told Mobile City Clerk Lisa Lambert that he would issue a written statement.

According to Lambert, if Jones resigns, a special election will need to be called to elect a new representative from District 6, as there is more than a year before the next council election. Jones was elected in 2021.

The last time a member of the city council resigned was in 2012, when then-District 3 representative Jermaine Burrell resigned due to a job relocation. He was replaced by Small, who was appointed by then-Mayor Sam Jones. No special election was held due to less than one year remaining in Burrell’s term, but the council did vote to confirm Small to the District 3 seat.

This is an ongoing story and will be updated.