Mayor Trent Lewis’s surprise resignation played a major role in Sweet Magnolias season 3’s ending, leading viewers to wonder what happened to prompt a recall vote for the character. Sweet Magnolias is a romantic drama series based on the novels of the same name by author Sherryl Woods. Sweet Magnolias follows the intertwined stories of three South Carolina women who live in the small town of Serenity. Friends since childhood, Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue call themselves the “Sweet Magnolias.” While their personal and professional lives are constantly filled with melodrama, this has not stopped the Sweet Magnolias from doing their civic duty and remaining politically active.

By Sweet Magnolias season 3’s ending, the group had managed to get their local mayor to resign in shame. However, those who came to the series late might understandably have been a little confused by this subplot, since Sweet Magnolias season 3 didn’t focus much screen time on Mayor Trent Lewis. The Mayor was central to the story of Sweet Magnolias season 2 as Dana Sue, Maddie, and Helen spearheaded a campaign to get him ousted from office. The trio’s petition didn’t directly lead to his eventual resignation, but this season 2 plot did resurface in Sweet Magnolias season 3’s ending.

Sweet Magnolias’ Mayor Recall Vote & Petition Explained

Originally, Helen, Dana Sue, and Maddie wanted a recall vote for the mayor because they felt that Lewis had done little to help the small town of Serenity avoid decline during his decade in the role. After Sweet Magnolias season 1’s ending, the trio was frustrated to see Serenity and its residents struggling and wanted Lewis to take accountability. As such, they started a petition calling for a recall vote. However, this indirectly led to Maddie’s love interest Cal being fired at the end of Sweet Magnolias season 2 when the Mayor’s wife publicized Cal’s arrest for battery and assault.

By the end of Sweet Magnolias season 2, it seemed as if no good could come of the petition. However, it soon turned out that the Mayor’s wife wasn’t the only one who could find incriminating information on public figures. Hoisted by his own petard, the Mayor was revealed to have been secreting away town funds for his own gain for years. Desperate to get the heat off himself and his family’s fortune, Mayor Trent Lewis soon resigned in disgrace. The new characters of Sweet Magnolias season 3 meant that the show didn’t have much time to revisit the events of season 2, making the resignation a surprise twist.

Why Mayor Trent Lewis Really Resigned In Sweet Magnolias Season 3

The real reason that Mayor Trent Lewis resigned in Sweet Magnolias season 3 was that he wanted to avoid a recall vote. After Peggy dug up information about possible malfeasance with the town’s funds, the Mayor couldn’t afford to lose his positive public image with a major scandal. His political popularity wasn’t enough to save his role as mayor once the embezzlement rumors came to light, but he was able to avoid jail time by resigning quickly. Much like his wife hoped revealing Cal’s arrest earlier in Sweet Magnolias would take the heat off her husband, the Mayor hoped that resigning would save him further humiliation and scrutiny.

Who Will Be Serenity’s New Mayor In Sweet Magnolias Season 4?

Helen told Peggy that she should run for mayor in the Sweet Magnolias season 3 finale, even suggesting that she would act as her campaign manager. This would be a great idea since Peggy was the one who revealed the information that led to the Mayor’s eventual downfall. While Helen herself would also make a good mayor thanks to her years of experience as an attorney, her personal life is too busy and chaotic for the role to make sense in Sweet Magnolias season 4. If there is a Sweet Magnolias season 4, Peggy would be a perfect candidate for Serenity’s mayor since she is a supporting character rather than a lead.

Netflix may not produce Sweet Magnolias season 4 since the season 3 ending of the series provided a lot of closure for most of the main characters. While it wasn’t too saccharine or overly optimistic, Sweet Magnolias season 3’s ending did resolve most of its major conflicts, unlike the show’s earlier cliffhanger season finales. By proposing that Peggy should be Serenity’s next mayor, Helen gave viewers every reason to think that the small South Carolina town would be in good hands going forward. Whether there are any more seasons of Sweet Magnolias or not, the defeat of Mayor Trent Lewis was a definitive success in season 3.