WARREN -- Bob Kliner won't say why he has quit after four years as the Warren mayor.
"I'm not commenting to anyone about why," he said.
What is clear is that it's yet another piece of chaos for Warren city government. The Marshall County city has been operating without a city clerk since the July 2009 firing of C.T. Marhula. It's also been without an operations superintendent since the August 2009 firing of Todd Hanson, who was later convicted of swindling public funds.
Kliner conceded that extra work because of vacancies at those two positions "was somewhat a factor" of his decision to resign.
As far removed as possible from a figurehead, Kliner was known to be heavily involved in all aspects of city government, just as predecessor Dick Nelson was.
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Sheila Horner said the e-mailed resignation of Kliner took her and fellow council members by complete surprise. "We have no clue why he left," she said.
Horner cautioned that the council has not accepted Kliner's resignation. Nor may the resignation be official because it came in an e-mail and not in a written form, she said. The council will hold a special meeting Tuesday evening to discuss Kliner's move and perhaps choose a mayor from the six council members.
A likely candidate will be Deb Myrfield, who is the council's president.
"It's true that we have been in a position of change," Myrfield said. "But under the guidance and leadership of Bob Kliner, we had a vision that we were working toward. I don't see that the council is going to alter that vision."
Myrfield said she can't elaborate on the vision, but added that she's puzzled by the resignation because "he gave us absolutely no reason why he resigned" and had "no inkling" it was coming.
Kliner was appointed to the position in February 2006 after Nelson died of cancer. Kliner then was elected twice to two-year terms, running without opposition the last time.
