Vincent Orange handed in his resignation today with a fair amount of pomp and no shortage of circumstance.

The latter, of course, being Orange’s decision to accept a position as the head of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce while still serving out the remainder of his term as an At-large Councilmember—and head of the committee that oversees business, labor, and regulatory issues.

The outrage was immediate. Although councilmembers are allowed to hold second jobs, and several currently do, conflicts of interest were virtually guaranteed.

To quell the appearance of impropriety, Orange announced that he would request the Committee of the Whole absorb his committee. “The optics are going to be addressed,” he told Kojo Nnamdi. “We will have a very workable solution when we return to the council [after the summer recess]. This is extremely short term.” The Board of Ethics and Government Accountability said they would speed up an opinion on the case, but reports began circulating that the Chamber job offer could be pulled if the ethics situation wasn’t resolved.

In less than a week, Orange confirmed that he planned to resign on the day his new position started, though the veteran lawmaker continued to maintain that he was legally allowed to keep both jobs.

At a press conference this morning, Orange laid out his long history on the Council—as the Ward 5 representative from 1999-2007 and in an At-large seat from 2011 until August 15, 2016. The creation of Emancipation Day and recent legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour got special mention both in his speech and on the back of a booklet that listed his accomplishments. The booklet, paid for by Orange’s constituent services fund, is unironically emblazoned with “Service Above Self” on the cover.

To mark the occasion, the D.C. Council Twitter account merely sent an image of the remaining members of the current Council.

Orange lost to challenger Robert White in his 11th city race, a surprising primary that saw two other incumbents and allies of Mayor Muriel Bowser also lose their seats.

The question of what happens to Orange’s now-vacant seat remains open, as the Board of Elections has 174 days to call a special election. However, the winner of the November general election would be seated before then. In the meantime, the D.C. Democratic State Committee can make a temporary appointment and White is the obvious choice.

But there is internal discord within the party, as Anita Shelton makes the case for her own appointment. “Just because someone is going to be something doesn’t mean he’s the best person to provide continuity in this situation,” Shelton told the Washington Times.

Back at the Wilson Building—after a crowd of staffers, family, and friends (none of his colleagues on the Council or the mayor attended) gave Orange a standing ovation—Pharrell William’s “Happy” tinnily blared from a cellphone. The crowd looked around, confused, until Orange confirmed it was intentional. “I’m happy, if you’re happy. We all should be happy. Just be happy,” he said with a wide grin, before dashing up the Wilson Building’s marble steps on his last day as a councilmember.