A North Dakota mayor resigned this week after accidentally sending a sexually explicit video of himself to a city attorney.
Minot Mayor Tom Ross resigned on Tuesday, the same day an investigation report revealed that he’d sent a video of himself masturbating to City Attorney Stefanie Stalheim in January, minutes after the two had a phone conversation about a police officer’s suicide.
According to the report released by the city, Ross asked Stalheim to delete the video before watching it and to keep the incident between them. He later told an interviewer he had meant to make “a sexy video for his girlfriend” and did not mean to send it to Stalheim.
She filed a formal complaint two weeks later.
The report determined that, whether accidental or not, Ross’s conduct “directly caused Stalheim’s inability to work in an environment free from unreasonable sexual harassment and created an offensive work environment.”
It also determined Ross had improperly used his personal cellphone for city business.
Ross was elected mayor in 2022 after serving two years on the Minot City Council.
“I do take responsibility for this mistake,” Ross said in a statement to Bismark outlet KFYR. “I tried to immediately correct it and was unable. I will always have the utmost respect for Stefanie Stalheim, she is a true professional. The decision I made [to resign] falls in line with all my work on behalf of the City of Minot. I put my heart and soul into this community. My stepping down is one more decision that is best for all of Minot.”
Ross’ resignation comes nearly a week after ex-North Dakota State Senator Ray Holmberg was sentenced to 10 years in prison for flying to Europe multiple times to have sex with underage boys.
