By SUZANNE DOWNING
The resignation of Palmer City Council member Victoria Hudson last week marked the latest chapter in a prolonged period of turbulence for the Palmer City Council, a rough patch that many in the community trace back to contentious leadership decisions made more than a year ago.
Hudson, who was elected in October 2024, submitted her resignation effective immediately at the conclusion of the council’s regular meeting on Jan. 13. No advance notice was given during the meeting, but she gave a long speech about why she was quitting.
Her departure came after the council approved a rezoning request affecting parcels adjacent to the Palmer Municipal Airport, changing the designation from residential to commercial use. The measure passed 6–1, with Hudson casting the lone dissenting vote.
While the vote itself was not unexpected, Hudson’s resignation has drawn renewed attention to the ongoing fractures within Palmer’s city government that have persisted across multiple councils, administrations, and election cycles.
Since 2024, Palmer’s municipal government has been marked by repeated disputes over process, authority, and governance norms. Much of the current instability can be seen as stemming from the controversial hiring and rapid departure of former city manager Stephen Jellie, whose brief tenure ended in resignation later that year and included a severance payout that drew sharp public criticism.
That episode set off a chain reaction: council infighting over hiring authority, accusations of ethics violations, procedural battles during meetings, and deepening divisions among elected officials. In the months that followed, Palmer saw mayoral recall efforts, the termination of the city clerk in 2025, and multiple resignations from appointed and elected positions.
Hudson entered office amid that climate, positioning herself as an advocate for procedural reform and accountability. She frequently pushed for changes to council rules and transparency measures, moves that sometimes placed her at odds with other members and contributed to visible factionalism on the dais.
In 2025, Hudson ran unsuccessfully for mayor, a campaign that further highlighted divisions within the city’s political leadership. Her subsequent seating on the council did little to calm tensions, as disputes over zoning, governance practices, and the legacy of prior decisions continued to dominate meetings.
With Hudson’s seat now vacant, the council will once again move to appoint or elect a replacement, restarting a familiar process in a city that has seen frequent turnover. Whether the next member will help stabilize the body, or simply inherit the same unresolved tensions, remains to be seen.
