The mayor of Midvale resigned after his wife complained about an alleged affair with a city employee

Marcus Stevenson is abrupt resignation as mayor of Midvale This week came after an allegation emerged that he had an affair with a council official.

That accusation came from the mayor’s wife.

“I witnessed my husband, Marcus Stevenson, in circumstances with another individual that gave me reason to believe he was having an extramarital affair,” Nikki Stevenson wrote in a complaint filed with the city last week. “When confronted, Marcus admitted his affair and indicated it was ‘someone he worked with’.”

The former mayor did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Thursday and Friday.

Nikki Stevenson told city officials in her letter, which The Salt Lake Tribune obtained through an open records request, that she has “substantial” corroborating evidence of the affair, including “camera footage, text messages, audio recordings, phone records and direct communications ‘. with the municipal official, who she claims was involved in the romantic relationship with her husband and is his ‘subordinate’.

That employee’s name was blacked out in the document.

Stevenson’s wife cited some city codes she said her husband violated in the relationship and asked during an investigation that he and the employee be placed on paid administrative leave.

However, the investigation into the mayor ended when Stevenson announced his resignation Thursday morning in a letter to Midvale City Manager Matt Dahl and members of the City Council.

“After much consideration and with a heavy heart, I am resigning as mayor of Midvale City, effective immediately,” Stevenson said in a news release. “Over the past few weeks my personal life has changed drastically and I have decided it is best for me to distance myself at this time. I ask for understanding and privacy.”

In his wife’s complaint to city officials, she said her husband violated his oath of office under a state law that requires elected officials to fulfill their duties with fidelity. She also accused him of violating city policy that requires two city employees involved in an “extramarital romantic, dating or sexual relationship” to notify their department director.

She further cited Midvale codes that prohibit supervisors from having such a relationship with employees they “oversee in the chain of command.”

Her letter also noted a ban on “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, when such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s job performance or an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.”

Nikki Stevenson wrote that “as a resident and taxpayer, I am concerned that the failure to address this issue could lead to further complications and potential harm to the residents of Midvale City. The issue has already caused harm to me and my children, as well as… the other person involved.”

City officials, for their part, have declined to reveal why the mayor resigned or to disclose the nature of the accusation, citing the need to comply with Midvale’s personnel policies and protect those involved.

As a result of the complaint, Dahl explained, the city retained an outside law firm, which investigated the allegation and cleared Stevenson of violating state law. He said the company was in the process of investigating alleged violations of city policy when the mayor resigned, effectively eliminating the need for further investigation.

It is unclear what action will be taken against the city employee involved in the alleged affair.

Stevenson was 27 when he was elected in 2021 to lead Midvale’s 36,000 residentsmaking him the youngest mayor in the city’s history. As a political activist, he cut his teeth in the political arena, helping with several high-profile campaigns. He also served as political director of the environmental nonprofit O2 Utah.

A avid skateboarderStevenson was popular with the youth, and he became known as an advocate for affordable housing, community involvement, increased recreational opportunities and for his efforts to revitalize Main Street and breathe life into other dying areas of Midvale.

City Council members expressed their dismay at Stevenson’s sudden political departure.

“While we are deeply disappointed by the circumstances surrounding his departure,” council members said in a news release, “we remain committed to moving forward with integrity and responsibility.”

Longtime councilman Paul Glover, mayor pro tempore, will serve as interim mayor until the council appoints a permanent replacement within the next 30 days, as required by state law.