Larry G. Yockey, vice chairman of the Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) board of directors, will resign from the board to seek a Douglasville City Council seat.

Yockey, 64, made the announcement at the Tuesday WSA board meeting, declaring that he will run for the Ward 1 council post in the Nov. 3 city election. Yockey ran for council four years ago and lost by one vote.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute on this WSA board,” Yockey said in an emotional statement at the meeting. “With the valuable knowledge and experience I’ve gained, I’ll be better informed to represent Ward 1. It’s with deep regret that I have to tender my resignation.”

The announcement was moving to him because it was something he didn’t enjoy doing, Yockey said Thursday.

“When an organization appoints you, it hard to say goodbye,” he said. “But it’s something I need to do because I feel it’s my duty to run again. Hopefully, I can represent the people in Ward 1.”

Yockey joined the WSA board in April 2006 and was elected vice chairman this year. He plans to resign after the Aug. 31 meeting and qualify for the council race on Sept. 1.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners (BOC) will select three candidates for the WSA board seat and the Douglasville City Council will choose one from the list. The BOC and council alternate these roles each time a new selection is made, according to WSA spokesperson Barbara Williams.

Yockey recently resigned from Bank of America after 27 years of service. He has served as chairman of Keep Douglasville Beautiful for three years and has been president of the Arbor Station Homeowners Association for 11 years.

He has also served as a stakeholder in the 20-year city land use plan development and the Arbor Place mall traffic improvement plan. He served on the city’s technical advisory panel to recommend changes in the city’s tree ordinance.