The mayor of an Orange County city resigned during a special meeting where officials were set to discuss whether to remove him.
The Orange County Register reports that Jerry Slusiewicz stepped down as Laguna Niguel's mayor 20 minutes into the city council session Monday.
He then walked out. A short time later, he released a statement calling the proceedings "phony."
Slusiewicz has been accused of bullying city employees and administrators in addition to demanding a discount on carpet at a store because of his city position. He's also accused of threatening the director of a community theater to get his daughter a part in a play.
He has denied the claims.
Mayor Pro Tem Fred Minagar is expected to be sworn in as mayor of the city of about 60,000.
Slusiewicz was elected to the City Council in November 2012 and won a second term in November 2016. In December 2016, he began serving as the city's mayor.
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"A few moments ago I resigned as mayor because I could not in good conscience preside over a phony proceeding convened in the name of Laguna Niguel taxpayers,” Slusiewicz said in a statement. "To put it bluntly, my colleagues do not want me as the mayor, and I cannot lead a body suffering from the great disability of indifference."
He remains a member of the City Council.
