Chris Kelly resigns from mayor’s infrastructure task force

Columbia Mayor-elect Brian Treece isn’t sworn into office until Monday, but he already has another appointment to make.

The chairman of the Mayor’s Task Force on Infrastructure, Chris Kelly, has resigned. The long-time community and state servant headed up the task force that was approved by the city council last July.

Mayor Bob McDavid recommended Kelly as the leader of the group that is charged with examining the state of Columbia’s infrastructure and making recommendations for improvement.

Mayor-elect Treece tells ABC 17 News Kelly was not forced to resign. Treece says Kelly initiated the resignation and sent the farewell in an email.

Treece said, “Judge Kelly has been in politics for 40 years and I think he knows when it’s time to step aside and give someone else a chance to come in.” He says Kelly is more than halfway through with the report and Treece is looking forward to replacing Kelly with a new chairman that can quickly conclude those recommendations.

The mayor-elect says he’ll replace Kelly soon and says he hopes for a seamless transition.