The mayor of a major Alaskan city is resigning after a local TV reporter posted what she says was a partially nude photo of him to Facebook.
On Monday, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz admitted to an “inappropriate messaging relationship” with Maureen “Maria” Athens, a local news anchor, and submitted his resignation.
He submitted his resignation on Tuesday, saying the scandal “compromised” his ability to run the city. His last day will be October 23, NBC News is reporting.
In a statement, Berkowitz said his relationship with Athens was a “major lapse in judgment” and occurred years ago.
Athens posted a video on her Facebook page on Friday, claiming that according to “reliable sources,” Berkowtitz’s male genitalia were reported on an underage girl’s website.
Athens appears agitated in the 38-second video, claiming a story about the mayor would run later that evening on Fox, ABC, and CW. No such story ever aired.
The Anchorage Police and the FBI looked into Athens’s allegations and found no evidence that anything criminal occurred.
A profanity-filled voice message from Athens to Berkowitz was sent to Alaska News Source on Monday. In the message left Friday morning, she admits to being in love with the mayor and threatens to kill him and his wife.
Later that Friday, Athens was arrested in the parking lot of Coastal Televisions Broadcasting for trespassing and assault after getting into an argument with her boyfriend, station manager Scott Centers, according to CBS News.
Athens pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released Monday on bail.
