The former chairman of the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Development Authority says he is "confident that my name will be cleared" of bribery charges.
Cliffard Whitby submitted his letter of resignation as chairman to the authority on Saturday.
That's the day after he was arrested on charges of bribing Bibb County's former school superintendent, Romain Dallemand.
Whitby, who lives in Forsyth, is also a builder and developer. A federal indictment says he paid Dallemand more than $461,000 over five years for the school district's support of a Whitby project.
In his letter, Whitby called the charges "terrible and unexpected."
He said he was resigning to prevent the charges to hurt the authority's work. As chairman, Whitby is a point man for attracting industry to Bibb County.
Whitby wrote, "I am determined to fight these allegations and maintain faith in the legal process that my record will show that I have always acted in a manner to better the community. I am confident that my name will be cleared at the end of the day."
Vice Chairman Robbie Fountain is now the authority's interim chairman.