BAKER CITY — Baker City Mayor Matt Diaz announced during the Tuesday, July 11, city council meeting that he will resign July 16 because he is moving from the city, and per the city charter would not be eligible to continue serving as a councilor.

Diaz said his decision to relocate his family had nothing to do with the recent controversy over a meme he shared on his personal Facebook page, and was rather out of a need for more lucrative work.

“Just as most of Baker City, residents and administration alike, I don’t make enough money to support my family,” he said. “Finding a job in today’s society is a long process. For me that process started weeks before the social media incident ever occurred.”

Diaz said it has been an honor to “personally witness people take advantage of the freedoms protected by the Constitution.”

Diaz thanked his constituents during the July 11 meeting, saying: “I am grateful for my time here and the friendships I have built.”

Diaz recently came under fire for a meme shared to his personal Facebook page that depicted four Pride flags arranged to form the shape of a swastika.

After announcing his resignation, Diaz did not attend the council’s closed-door session at the end of the meeting.

Diaz did not mention during the meeting the controversy surrounding his Facebook post. Multiple people have called on Diaz to resign over the past few weeks.

Earlier in the meeting, Councilor Beverly Calder made a motion to compel Diaz to resign as a councilor. The motion failed by a three-all vote, with Calder, Jason Spriet and Ray Duman voting yes, and Diaz and Councilors Nathan Hodgdon and Dean Guyer opposed.

Councilor Johnny Waggoner Sr. was absent.

Hodgdon will serve as acting mayor until the council, per the city charter, appoints someone to replace Diaz as a councilor.