LEHIGH — Phil Richardson has announced his resignation as the mayor of Lehigh.

Richardson’s resignation is effective Jan. 1.

On Thursday, Richardson said he decided to resign to give someone else a chance to lead.

“I just thought I’d step aside to let them find a more effective person than myself,” he said. “I feel I have tried my hardest, done my best.”

Richardson said he felt he “should have had slightly more support from the council,” and that “I think sometimes the council let me down pretty bad,” but declined to say any further on the matter.

“I want to take the high road on this,” he said. “I don’t want to bash nobody.”

Richardson was first appointed mayor in November 2016, following the resignation of Paula Martin, who later joined the Lehigh City Council.

He won a full four-year term as mayor in November 2017. He did not file for the race, but ended up winning as a write-in with 34 votes.

While Richardson is leaving office, he said he appreciates the support he received from the community.

During his tenure as mayor, Richardson oversaw the town receiving a grant to help improve the water plant.

“Everyone I worked with when it came to the contractors did a marvelous job,” he said.

He will continue to live and work in Lehigh.

Richardson added that he has the utmost respect for the citizens of Lehigh.

“I couldn’t have done what I did without the citizens of the town,” he said. “I feel extremely bad for letting those people down that support me so much.”

“I want to make sure the people in town know how much I appreciated them,” Richardson added. “And thank them for their help.”