CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Tuesday's Corpus Christi City Council meeting took a brief time out for some hugs, tears and a very special goodbye.
Mayor Paulette Guajardo and members of the city council presented Corpus Christi Police Chief Mike Markle with a proclamation thanking him for his 31 years of service to the city.
Chief Markle announced in late March that he was retiring.
His last day with the city will be Sunday, May 2.
Choking back some tears, Chief Markle said he had been blessed with having an exceptional mayor, council and staff.
From hurricanes to water boils to the pandemic, he talked about some of the struggles and hard times he went through as chief of police.
As for the reason for his retirement, Chief Markle said it's just the right time for that.
He said, "I'm not running away from anything. My leaving is not a departure of some negative thing. It's just a natural step in life, a progression and I just have nothing to say but thank you, thank
all of you."
Chief Markle says he plans to stay in Corpus Christi and if his community ever needs him, he's ready to roll up his sleeves.
And his parting words to the community? If you run into him, he says you can still call him Chief.
