Eric D. Lawrence

Detroit Free Press

Wayne County's treasurer has announced his plans to resign after only a few months on the job.

Richard Hathaway, who was sworn in on Dec. 11, submitted his resignation today in a letter addressed to the three people who selected him — Prosecutor Kym Worthy, Clerk Cathy Garrett and Chief Probate Judge Freddie Burton Jr. Hathaway declined to speak publicly in detail about why he was resigning, calling it a family matter.

Hathaway, a former chief assistant prosecutor for Worthy, has agreed to stay on until April 8 to help with the transition. He replaced longtime treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz, who retired in December after 39 years. Eric Sabree, chief deputy treasurer, has been tapped to fill the treasurer's post until a replacement is named.

"It’s a private family matter, and hopefully they’ll pick another candidate. If not, the people of Wayne County will decide," Hathaway said today.

In his letter, Hathaway said it had been an honor and a privilege to serve in the position and that he was resigning with a "heavy heart," calling the decision difficult but the right one.

He wrote that the county "is making great strides toward a recovery, and I looked forward to playing a significant role in making that story one of success."

The change comes at a challenging time for the treasurer's office, which is again facing a massive wave of tax foreclosures. The number for 2016 was estimated last year at 70,000 properties.

During his interview for the job, Hathaway, 66, of Grosse Pointe Woods noted the significance of the foreclosure crisis.

"Foreclosures are the big focus. We want to try to keep people in their homes (and paying taxes)," he said at the time. "We're going to see if we can help them."

Hathaway beat out a field of candidates for the $115,891-a-year post, including Phil Cavanagh, a former Democratic state representative from Redford Township and onetime candidate for Wayne County executive; former Detroit mayoral and City Council candidate D. Etta Wilcoxon; retired chief deputy county treasurer David Szymanski; Beverly Kindle-Walker, who has run for county treasurer numerous times; James Williams IV, an auditor with the state Treasury who has been a Wayne County Commission candidate, and George (Jerry) Paffendorf, who heads Loveland Technologies.

State Sen. Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, was also in the running, but he withdrew his name from consideration before his interview.

Worthy, who had recommended Hathaway to the panel, released a statement reaffirming her support for him.

"Being the treasurer is a full-time commitment. He was genuinely concerned that the recent confluence of family events would not allow him to serve with the excellence and time commitment necessary. This illustrates what I have always respected about Richard and his core values: God, family, and great work ethic. If there were more people like him that deeply cared about their commitments, we would be in much better shape as a society. I hope that he will return to my office one day — albeit in a part-time capacity," Worthy said in a statement, noting that she had hoped he would lead the office through "at least the next few election cycles."

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans also released a statement on the resignation.

"Treasurer Hathaway has dedicated his career to public service. Our administration was eager to work with him on new measures to keep Wayne County families in their homes; however we realize this must have been a difficult decision for Treasurer Hathaway and we wish him and his family the best," Evans said.

The treasurer's term ends June 30, 2017. It was not clear today how quickly someone else could be appointed to replace Hathaway.

A message seeking comment was left for Garrett, and Burton could not be reached.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@feepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.