A North Dakota mayor resigned Tuesday following the revelation of an inappropriate video mistakenly sent to the city attorney, marking a dramatic shift in the leadership of one of the largest cities in the state. Minot Mayor Tom Ross resigned after an investigation into allegations that he mistakenly sent a lewd video to City Attorney Stefanie Stalheim in January, the AP reports. Ross resigned the same day the investigative report was made public.
Ross says that minutes after discussing a police officer's suicide with Stalheim, he accidentally sent her a video he'd recorded for his girlfriend. He said he was unfamiliar with using an iPhone as he typically used a Samsung phone, and that his girlfriend's name and Stalheim's were both listed under the letter "C," with Stalheim being listed in his phone as "City Attorney," USA Today reports. Ross asked Stalheim to delete the video, not to watch it, and to keep it confidential, but she says she was shocked by the video—which a human resources employee ultimately viewed in part, while trying to delete it for Stalheim—and made a formal complaint.
The report found Ross' conduct created an offensive work environment for Stalheim, who was his direct subordinate with a pending annual review. Ross said in a statement that he takes full responsibility and holds Stalheim "in the utmost regard and respect." The Minot City Council plans to appoint a new mayor from within the council after 15 days, which is how long citizens have to petition for a special election. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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