The City of Greenville announced Tuesday that Mayor Allen Thomas is resigning.

In a press release, the city says Thomas has been named executive director of the North Carolina Global Transpark in Kinston. He will transition from his elected post to the transpark on June 29.

"We are pleased to have Allen coming on board in this key role," NCDOT Chief Deputy Secretary David Howard said. "He brings the right experience to recruit cutting-edge industries and leverage the investment the State has made in GTP."

Thomas is the current three-term mayor of Greenville and was facing another election in November. The city council will meet to vote on an interim mayor.

Thomas told WITN's Heather King this morning that this move has been in the works for months, but he chose now to leave the city because the budget process is complete and they are almost complete with the search for a new city manager.

He added that his goals for GTP are to work on the disconnected assets of transportation in eastern Carolina: ports, the CSX rail station in Rocky Mount, interstate connectivity and the GTP.

"It has been the greatest honor to serve the citizens of Greenville as mayor," Thomas said. "I have poured my heart and soul into being a positive and engaged visible presence in our community. We have come a long way together since 2011, from the challenges of floods and great recessions to building economic growth, new highways and a vibrant center city with great momentum. It is a bittersweet day for me, but I am confident of our progress and I know Greenville is on a great trajectory. It is now time to redirect that energy to a role for eastern North Carolina. While this means a transition in public service, I am excited about the possibilities to work with leaders across the east to maximize our assets and build a solid economic foundation for generations of North Carolinians into the future."