Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee has announced her resignation.
The announcement was made by Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay during a Wednesday morning press conference. Lee was not present at the press conference.
Lee, who was first elected in 2020, previously served as last year's Council Vice President. In February, it came to light that a DUI charge was expected to be expunged from her record after she was arrested in June 2023 by a Madison police officer who followed her after smelling marijuana.
Then, in July, it was revealed Lee's wages as a council member were garnished to cover unpaid campaign expenses, according to WLBT. A portion of Lee's paycheck as a council member were used to pay off nearly $21,000 in expenses from A2Z Printing for her campaign. A writ of garnishment was issued in October by a ruling from the Hinds County Circuit Court. It's unknown if Lee has yet paid the full amount that is owed.
“Councilwoman Angelique Lee of Ward 2 has provided me and the members of the city council her written resignation effective immediately," Lindsay said. "Under these unfortunate circ*mstances, the Ward 2 seat is now vacant."
Lindsay said the council is required under state law to meet within the next 10 days to order a special election, which must take place between 30-45 days after the council meets.
No questions were allowed after the announcement. No reason was given.
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Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba released a statement, thanking Lee for her service and wishing her best in the future.
"On behalf of the entire city, I want to express my deep gratitude for her service and dedication. We will miss her leadership on the council, but we know she will continue to be a passionate advocate for our community in other ways," Lumumba said. "The process to fill the vacancy on the City Council will begin immediately, and I encourage all interested and qualified individuals to consider serving in this important role."
See Lee's full resignation letter, provided to the media by Jackson Spokesperson Melissa Payne:
“It is with a profound sadness that I humbly submit this letter of resignation as City Councilwoman for the City of Jackson.
Circ*mstances that I am not at liberty to discuss at the moment, have led to this decision. I will greatly miss working with each of you and I am proud of the work that we have done as a collective body for the City of Jackson and its citizens.
It has been my tremendous honor to serve the constituents of Ward 2 and the people of the City of Jackson as a whole. I have worked hard. Sacrificed much, and have always put the citizens of Jackson first. I am proud of the work we have done, proud of my voting record, and my work in the community. We have advocated for our seniors, our para transit community, and have been boots on the ground in our schools, our senior living facilities, churches and communities.
I would like to personally extend my gratitude to all of my neighborhood association presidents for all of their support and prayers throughout my tenure. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to my Chief of Staff, Harold Patton, Ms. Shirley Daniels, and the late LaShaundra Liddell for their commitment to helping me solve the needs and concerns for the constituents in our ward. And lastly, I would like to personally thank all of our clerks, directors, police and firemen that operate behind the scenes and on the front lines for the citizens of Jackson. We could not do it without you.
In closing, my work as councilwoman may have come to an end, but my love of service to my community and this city will continue.
Sincere regards,Angelique Lee."
According to the city's website, the now former Ward 2 councilwoman is the daughter of former educator, civil rights activist and Freedom Rider Mary Harrison Lee and former educator Gene Lee. The Lees are the owners of The Big Apple Inn on Farish Street. Angelique Lee is a mother of two daughters.
Before serving on the council, Lee worked as a public school teacher in Houston, Texas and Harlem, New York. She relocated back to Jackson and worked as the Deputy Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at Jackson State University. She also worked at Tougaloo College as the Director of the Family Life Center.
