Joe Cline, executive director of the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority, has suddenly voluntarily resigned without publicly specifying why.

TWSA board Chairman Randall Turpin said Cline tendered his resignation during a closed session. Turpin is temporarily overseeing the agency until a replacement is hired.

Efforts to reach Cline for comment were unsuccessful. Chairman Jack Debnam and other county leaders said they did not know why Cline had resigned, with Debnam describing those involved as “tight-lipped.”

County Manager Chuck Wooten told Jackson County commissioners this week that the TWSA board would be advertising for a replacement in trade magazines and similar outlets.

“They want to get someone on board as soon as possible,” Wooten said.

TWSA was created in 1992 when the Jackson County and the towns of Dillsboro, Sylva and Webster consolidated their water and wastewater utilities.