12 Other U.S. Mayors Who Did Decide to Resign

Ed Murray resigned yesterday from his post as mayor of Seattle after a fifth person stepped forward accusing him of sexual abuse—the latest allegation coming from a younger cousin of his. For that he joins the company of several elected officials who have recently been accused (or confirmed) of sexual impropriety that led to their resignation: former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, former Congressman Matthew Wollman of South Dakota, and former Congressman Mark Lovell of Tennessee.

While it seems that it’s more often politicians from the party of family values (the GOP) who get caught in such affairs, that’s more perception than reality. For Hinda Mandell’s book Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power in Contemporary American Politics, she found that Democrats are slightly more likely to be involved in scandals regarding extramarital affairs with women; they’re also more likely to have scandalous affairs with females. This certainly seems to be the case with mayors, who, when it comes to cities, are more often Democrats than not. Below is a list of mayors who’ve had to resign in recent years for improper behavior: