Ayden Manager Josh Richardson Resigns Abruptly, Leaving Town Without Leadership

Ward 4 Commissioner Josh Richardson walked away from the Ayden Board of Commissioners on April 2 after just three months in office, submitting his resignation in a two-line email to Mayor Ivory Mewborn and fellow board members: "Y'all consider this my resignation. I'm done with your damn games."

Richardson had won the Ward 4 seat in November 2025, defeating incumbent Johnny Davis by just 24 votes. He was sworn in the following December alongside Ward 3 Commissioner Daniel Hefner, with his wife and children standing at his side as Mayor Mewborn administered the oath. He was midway through his first quarter of a four-year term when he quit.

On his official campaign Facebook page, Richardson offered a more measured explanation. "Yesterday I submitted my resignation as Commissioner," he wrote. "I appreciate all of your support, but at this time I have realized my spiritual life needs to take precedence." He did not specify what "games" he was referring to in the resignation email, and has not responded to media requests for comment.

Before resigning, Richardson had publicly raised concerns about a drainage problem in western Ayden, posting on Facebook about what he described as a lack of answers from town leadership. Mayor Mewborn has been asked about the drainage issue but it remained unresolved as of the special meeting.

Mewborn acknowledged the resignation email the day after it arrived, thanking Richardson for his brief service to the town.

The vacancy did not last long. On the evening of April 9, commissioners held a special-called meeting and voted four to nothing to appoint Johnny Davis, the same man Richardson had unseated five months earlier, back to the Ward 4 seat Davis had previously held.

Davis now returns to a board grappling with unresolved infrastructure complaints and a commissioner seat that turned over twice within a single election cycle.