Welcome to North Dakota state road sign. (Photo by: Visions of America/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The mayor of one of the largest cities in North Dakota resigned after an investigation against him. Minot Mayor Tom Ross got himself in hot water after mistakenly sending a nude video to the City Attorney Stefanie Stalheim.Ross resigned Tuesday (April 1), according to a report from the Associated Press. That’s the same day an investigative report into him became public.
The investigation confirmed that the North Dakota mayor sent a video of himself masturbating to City Attorney Stalheim in January. Tom Ross reportedly sent the video minutes after the two had a telephone call discussing a police officer’s suicide.
Ross told an interviewer he had recorded the video at home during a lunch break. Additionally, he meant to send it to his romantic partner, not to Stalheim. He called the nude clip “a sexy video for his girlfriend.”
According to the report, Ross had asked Stefanie Stalheim to delete the video, not watch it, and keep the incident between them. Stalheim had reportedly struggled with whether to make a formal report. At the time, Ross was her direct supervisor, and Stalheim’s annual review was pending. Ultimately, she reported the incident and requested an apology from Ross. Stalheim also urged him to consider resigning as mayor of Minot, North Dakota.
Ultimately, an investigator found Ross’s conduct “directly caused Stalheim’s inability to work in an environment free from unreasonable sexual harassment and created an offensive work environment.”
Ross said Wednesday (April 2) he takes full responsibility and holds Stalheim “in the utmost regard and respect.” He said he had not resigned earlier “to respect the process.” Now, the former North Dakota mayor plans to focus on himself, heal, and move forward with his family. It’s unclear if City Attorney Stefanie Stalheim.
The Minot City Council voted on Tuesday to appoint a mayor from within the council after 15 days. That is the timeframe for citizens to petition for a special election. Tom Ross was elected mayor in 2022 after serving two years on the city council. Minot, about 50 miles south of the Canadian border, is home to more than 47,000 people.
Associated Press staff contributed to this report.
