Tonganoxie City Councilman Burdel Welsh will resign his seat Monday in advance of leaving later this month for a new job in the South Pacific.

Welsh said Wednesday he had notified the city of Lake Quivira that he would be resigning Sept. 17 as police chief of that city to take the position as deputy chief of a 90-man force on an Army base on the Marshall Islands. He and his wife would be departing for the South Pacific in late September.

“I thought I would participate in the Monday Council meeting and then resign at the end of it,” he said. “I’ve had 35 years on the other side of the council table, so I’ve really enjoyed the chance to be on the other side of it. It’s been a learning experience for me, especially about budgeting and regulations on that and certainly its challenges.

“I enjoyed working with Council members. I felt my niche was emergency services, and I hope I was able to contribute to the Council in that area.”

Welsh was elected to the Council in April 2009, and his term was to expire in 2013.

Mayor Jason Ward, who became mayor last month with the resignation of Mike Vestal, will appoint Welsh’s replacement with the approval of the Council. It will be his third such decision.

Last month, Ward appointed Chris Donnelly to fill his vacant Council seat, which also expires in April 2013, and will appoint someone Monday to fill the remaining seven months of Tom Putthoff’s term in the wake of his Aug. 27 resignation.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for him, and I’m very happy for him,” Ward said. “From the Council’s perspective, it’s a major loss. I recently appointed Burdel Council president, and it’s disappointing he’ll miss out on the opportunity.”