Ryan to Explain His Council Resignation

Rancho Palos Verdes Councilman Robert E. Ryan, who resigned suddenly this week, said Thursday that he will explain his decision to quit next week.

Ryan said he may hold a press conference Wednesday and make a statement about his resignation. “There’s nothing sinister about it or anything,” Ryan said in a brief telephone interview Thursday morning.

Ryan’s term expires this year, and his name is on the ballot for the Nov. 7 election. It is not clear whether Ryan, a council member since the city was incorporated in 1973, intends to withdraw as a candidate.

City Clerk Jo Purcell, who is married to Ryan, read her husband’s one-sentence resignation to the council Tuesday night. Ryan did not attend the meeting.