Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said in a statement that he plans to appeal a judge's decision removing him from office for violating term limits he put in place.
A Thursday order from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig Schwall said Wood, who was first elected in 1997, was ineligible to run in 2013, when he was last elected.
He ordered Wood be removed from office immediately.
“The office of Mayor of Roswell stands vacant and shall be filled pursuant to the terms of the City Charter,” the order reads.
But the ruling also says the order will be stayed if Wood appeals. In a statement, Wood said he would do that so he could finish out his term, which ends in December.
Wood also said he would not seek his sixth term in office.
The decision came following a lawsuit from a resident, Michael Litten, who plans to run for mayor.
Wood, who pushed for term limits, finally got them approved in his fourth term. He argued that they were only valid going forward.
Litten sued, saying the term limits should apply retroactively.
For more about the case, and Wood's decision to appeal, read the full story on myAJC.com.
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VIDEO -- More about the lawsuit:
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