After six years on the Troy City Council, former Troy Public Schools teacher Joe Arts has resigned, citing his declining health.

Arts said he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March, and was told he had only months left to live.

Arts first chose to run for council because he felt things were not being run as well as they should be, he said.

Arts said he didn’t think he would have sought the City Council position if it were a paying proposition. What drew him was the idea of serving his community, and fixing the rift he saw between residents and city government seemed a good way to do that.

“It was us against them for a long time,” he said.

Since the election in which he and Council President Crystal Denton won their seats, Arts said he feels the relationship between the public and city government has improved noticeably.

Now, whatever the disagreements, when people leave a meeting they are all neighbors again, and that’s how it should be, he said.

As an elementary school teacher in Troy for 33 years, Arts has an added perspective when looking out at the community members who come to meetings, and even when interacting with his fellow council members.

“I had most of these as kids,” Arts said of the audience at Wednesday’s meeting. “Two members of the council were in my room.”

Many of the adults Arts sees around Troy now were once his students.

Mayor Dallas Carr said that Arts had not only taught him, but his children as well.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you, and being taught by you,” Carr said to Arts.

At 71, Arts said he does not dread the end. He has lived a good life, and has enjoyed it thoroughly.

He also said he takes pride in the people his past students have grown into.

As the meeting wound down Wednesday, Council President Crystal Denton asked for any public comment on items not on the agenda.

There was only one comment, though it came from several different mouths, and addressed everything from Arts’ decades as a teacher, to his volunteer work, to his time on the council: Thank you for your service, Joe.

The council discussed two possible applicants for Arts’ seat during their Wednesday meeting, but chose to table the discussion to a special meeting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 29.

The council will meet and interview the applicants on Tuesday, then discuss and vote for an applicant to assume the remainder of Arts’ term.