Longtime West Virginia Auditor Glen Gainer will leave office May 14, about eight months before the end of his sixth term in office.
Gainer, 56, had announced in December that he would not seek a seventh term, but he said at the time that he would serve out the rest of his term.
On Thursday, Gainer said he had accepted a job in the private sector that begins May 15. He said his new position will be as the executive director and CEO of a nonprofit group "engaged in providing training," but he would not identify the group, saying that his future employer would make that announcement.
"When I announced last year that I would not seek re-election and I was going to pursue something in the private sector, that's pretty much the course I have been on," Gainer said Thursday. "I am going to transition out of my public life and go to work in the private sector."
The nonprofit group is headquartered in Virginia, but Gainer said most of his time at work would be spent in Fairmont.
Gainer, a Democrat, said he informed Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin on Wednesday of his decision to resign.
Tomblin will be responsible for appointing an interim auditor to serve for the rest of the year.
Tomblin's office confirmed that he will appoint a replacement by May 14, but did not respond when asked who he was considering.
Gainer said he named three of his chief deputies when Tomblin asked for recommendations.
"I'm sure I'll have further discussions with him in that regard," Gainer said.
Gainer has been West Virginia's auditor since 1993. His father, also named Glen, preceded him in office, serving as auditor from 1976 to 1992.
In 2014, the current auditor mounted an unsuccessful bid for Congress in West Virginia's northernmost congressional district. He was defeated by Republican Rep. David McKinley.
Prior to his decision not to run for re-election, Gainer had been dogged by criticism over the government's switch to a 26-week pay-period system.
The proposed switch to a biweekly pay system, instead of a twice-a-month system, has caused some state workers to allege that they were being shortchanged.
On Wednesday, Tomblin, Gainer and Treasurer John Perdue voted to go ahead with the switch for most state employees, lifting a stay that had been in effect since Nov. 2.
Candidates running to replace Gainer are Republican Delegate J.B. McCuskey, R-Kanawha, and Democrats Jason Pizatella, a former member of Tomblin's administration, and Robin Righter and Mary Ann Claytor, who both formerly worked in Gainer's office.
Reach David Gutman at david.gutman@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5119 or follow @davidlgutman on Twitter.