Councilman Keith Durbin is resigning his position to become Metro’s new chief information officer, he told NashvillePost.com on Tuesday.

The position opened up earlier this year after the resignation of previous director Sandy Cole.

Durbin, a first-term Council member for District 18, served as an IT analyst at HCA.

A special election will be held to fill Durbin’s vacant seat. He will begin in his new role on Jan. 5.

“It was a very difficult decision that was based on the fact that I have the opportunity to not only help my district, but the rest of the city as well,” Durbin said. “It’s not like I’m going away. I’m not moving, I’m not stepping down for some personal reason. It is to broaden my public service.”

Durbin was recognized as a neighborhood advocate and served previously as president of the Belmont Hillsboro Neighborhood Association. Running unopposed in 2007, he became the first openly gay elected official in the history of Tennessee.

The IT department was in the news a year ago following a break-in at the Davidson County Election Commission. IT security issues were raised in the aftermath of the break-in.