Mayor Christine Lundberg resigned Saturday, Aug. 14, effective immediately.
Mayor Christine Lundberg announced Saturday afternoon that she is resigning immediately.
In a letter posted on the City of Springfield’s website, the mayor stated: “I make this decision with a heavy heart. The role of mayor has been an enormous honor. Springfield is such a wonderful community. I have always felt blessed to serve as your mayor.”
Lundberg was reelected in May, defeating longtime community volunteer and civic leader Mike Eyster in the primary by a final count of 7,052 to 5,139.
“She has worked hard for Springfield and I know she cares about Springfield,” Eyster said Saturday. “I hope it’s nothing bad for her. I hope she doesn’t have to contend with anything difficult.”
The City Council will appoint an interim mayor at a future public council meeting. The details and date have not yet been determined, according to the mayor’s office.
“Mayor Lundberg’s service and dedication to the Springfield community has been exemplary and we’ve had many notable achievements under her leadership,” said Joe Pishioneri, council president. “We respect her decision and our focus now is on immediate next steps for the Springfield community.”
Born and raised in Springfield, Lundberg joined the Navy and attended the University of Oregon as well as Lane and San Diego Community Colleges.
She was elected to the Springfield City Council in 1999 and served Ward 1, the Gateway area, for more than a decade. During that time, the PeaceHealth Hospital at Riverbend was built and transportation improvements to I-5 and Beltline Highway were planned. The first Bus Rapid Transit, known as EmX, route from downtown Eugene to downtown Springfield became a reality as well as the addition of the Pioneer Parkway EMX route.
Lundberg became the city’s 37th mayor when she was sworn in Dec. 6, 2010.
Eyster said it’s too early to comment on making another run at the mayoral seat.
“I certainly ran in the May primary with the full intent of winning and serving as mayor,” he said. “I have a strong interest in Springfield and I’m committed to Springfield’s future. Right now, I’m still processing the news.”
Following the election in May, Lundberg said she was looking forward to completing several projects already in the works.
“The citizens of Springfield can rest assured that I will bring everything to the table to make sure that the city gets through these tough times and we come out stronger for it,” she said.
She added that winning the election means Springfield can continue working on multiple ongoing projects, including the redevelopment of Glenwood, a potential indoor athletic track, rewriting the residential development code and improving the streets.
