Newly elected state Sen. Lydia Edwards will resign her seat on the Boston City Council at the end of April, allowing a special election to be held this summer to fill the seat representing East Boston, the North End and Charlestown.
Now that Edwards has submitted a letter declaring her irrevocable intention to resign in April, outgoing City Clerk Maureen Feeney can submit an order to the council setting dates for preliminary and general elections to be scheduled. The council could approve the order as early as Feb. 22, according to a release from Edwards' campaign.
In a statement, Edwards wrote that delaying her resignation to April 30 — eliminating the gap in time between her service and that of her successor — will minimize the amount of time the district is without a voting councilor and leave enough time for candidates to thoroughly campaign for the seat.
"As the residents of Charlestown, East Boston, and the North End continue to face extreme housing, development and recovery challenges during a pandemic, I believe the best thing I can do is represent them until they elect a new city councilor," Edwards wrote.
Edwards' statement said she'll remain a full-service city councilor between now and April 30, while also holding her new Senate office representing much of her city district, as well as Revere, Winthrop and parts of Cambridge.
"During such time, her office will continue to respond to constituent matters from parking tickets to policy reforms," the statement reads.
Newly elected state legislators occasionally decide to hold on to their previous municipal roles on an interim basis after entering the State House. Edwards raised eyebrows on Beacon Hill when she bucked tradition by not disclosing her plans to resign upon her swearing-in as a senator last week.
