In this file photo, Sequatchie County commissioner Will Zimmerman, right, listens to a presentation on jail staffing needs along with commissioners Randall Johnson and Michael Griffith.Longtime Sequatchie County Commissioner Will Zimmerman announced Monday night that he's resigning from the county panel to move into his dream home.
"I went to my last meeting last night," Zimmerman said Tuesday. The three-term commissioner's resignation is effective Oct. 1.
Zimmerman and his wife, Kitty, have lived in Sequatchie County since 1987. But that was before a recent turn of good fortune.
Back in the spring, Kitty Zimmerman bought a $100 ticket for a chance to win the top prize in the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway -- a 2,768-square-foot home in Hixson. She was notified she was the winner in July.
"The St. Jude house was a bolt out of the blue," said Zimmerman, 79. "It created some opportunities for us.
"After much thought and contemplation and prayer, we have decided to move down to Hixson, and I'm disengaging from the political scene," he said.
Sequatchie County Executive Claude Lewis said the loss of experience on the commission will be missed.
"He's been an outstanding commissioner. We hate to see him go," Lewis said. "We gave him a standing ovation last night."
Zimmerman was particularly knowledgeable about emergency management and was a valuable asset for the county over the last decade, Lewis said.
Now, the commissioners left behind must decide who will fill the vacancy, Lewis said.
That probably will happen in November or December, he said. The appointed commissioner will serve until the next general election in August 2012.
Zimmerman said his time as a commissioner has been rewarding.
He's not retiring to a rocking chair, though.
"I hope you're never too old to explore something new," he said Tuesday. "I don't plan to rest a whole bunch. We still have things we want to do."