Joliet Councilman Dickinson says he will resign

Joliet Councilman Don “Duck” Dickinson issued a statement late Friday afternoon saying he will resign from the City Council.

The statement says Dickinson will issue a formal letter of resignation to the city clerk on Monday.

"Councilman Dickinson thanks all citizens of the city of Joliet for the opportunity to serve their interests, which he states was 'an honor of a lifetime,'" the statement says. "Councilman Dickinson looks forward to returning to private life, and spending time with his children and grandchildren."

Dickinson, who is in his first term, announced in August that he would not seek re-election when his seat was up in April.

His announcement that he will resign comes at the end of a week in which Dickinson did not attend three City Council meetings.

At the last council meeting he attended on Nov. 2, Dickinson read from a written statement saying he had been subject to harassment and blackmail over a personal relationship.

That same day he filed a police report alleging intimidation concerning a nude photo of himself, which Dickinson said he had been told had been obtained by Mayor Bob O’Dekirk.

O’Dekirk has denied the allegation and said he has never seen such photos of Dickinson. In turn, O’Dekirk said Dickinson should be charged with filing a false police report.