Mayor Don Gage shocked a packed city council chambers Monday evening by resigning his office at the beginning of the meeting.
The bombshell announcement came just as the city council debated a controversial new general plan and a massive initiative to convert more than a square mile of North Gilroy farmland into housing.
Gage said he had served the city for 30 years and wanted to spend time with his family. He is resigning a year before his four-year term expires.
“I have been serving the community of South County and Gilroy for the last 34 years, and I really think it’s time to hang up the spurs,” Gage said. “My family comes first, and that’s where I am going to be focusing my attention in the future.”
Gage said he might do some volunteer work around the city, but his time was full with family needs.
“I made a lot of friends,” said Gage. “I don’t think I made any enemies, but if I did, I apologize, but that’s the way life goes.”
Gage, a Republican, was first elected in Gilroy in 1981. He served on the Gilroy City Council  from 1981 to 1991; he was mayor from 1991 to 1997. He was a Santa Clara County Supervisor from 1997 to 2010 and served on the Santa Clara Valley Water District from 2010 to 2012 when he resigned mid-term to return to Gilroy for a second stint as mayor.
Gage, 70, worked for IBM for 30 years.
This article was updated at 10:37 am on December 8, 2015 to correct quotes, and Gage’s age.
