(STORY UPDATED Sept. 27, 2011)

Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Commissioner Ben Killingswoth has resigned. In a terse note to his commission colleagues and the Town Crier, Killingsworth wrote, “I hereby resign from my position as a member of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District Board of Commissioners, effective immediately.” The email notification was sent Thursday, Sept. 22.

At the IFPD’s Sept. 26 meeting, the remaining commissioners, in the absence of President Pete Capparelli, agreed to a process for replacing Killingsworth by the end of October or early November.

His resignation came as surprise to many people, including his colleagues. Just the day before, Killingsworth helped draft the loan request letter to Riverside County.

“[Ben] has devoted an exceptional amount of time to IFPD and the community for which we should be grateful,” said colleague and Commissioner Jeannine Charles-Stigall. “I wish him the very best in all things.”

Killingsworth was appointed to the IFPD commission in July 2008 to finish the term of Dr. Emily Shaw, who had resigned in June 2008. He was elected to a full four-year term in August 2009. During most of his tenure, Killingsworth focused on the agency’s finances.