[video:6475]ALTON – Alton Ward 7 Alderman Nate Keener announced last night that he will be stepping down from his posts on the Alton Committee of the Whole and City Council at the end of this year to relocate for a new job in Springfield.“Today, I’m publicly announcing my resignation as Ward 7 Alderman effective Dec. 31, 2023,” Keener said at Monday’s committee meeting. “Earlier this year, I accepted a new job based in Springfield and due to this career change, my family and I will be relocating to central Illinois sometime after the first of the year.” Once Keener officially steps down, there will be an open vacancy for a new Ward 7 Alderperson yet to be appointed. Keener said he is “committed to helping make that transition as smooth as possible.”“It has been an honor to serve,” he added. “I’ve enjoyed meeting so many of you and hearing your ideas about how to make the city of Alton a better place to live, and Alton will always be a special place to the Keener family. “Thank you for being engaged in local politics, and good luck in the coming year and beyond … Thank you for placing your trust in me.”Alderwoman Rosie Brown commended Keener for his work and “visions” for Alton.“You are an awesome young man with a lot of great visions for our city, and I just really appreciate the work that you’ve put in, you’ve done an awesome job,” she said. “I’m going to miss you.”Keener and his wife Emily first moved to Alton to start their family in 2015. He was elected Ward 7 Alderman in the April 2021 elections. In addition to serving as an alderman on the Alton Committee of the Whole and City Council, Keener also previously worked as the Director of Sustainability at Lewis and Clark Community College and was a board member of Alton Main Street.A recording from the Dec. 11, 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting is available at the top of this story, on the Riverbender.com Facebook page, or on Riverbender.com/video.