Midvale mayor resigns after wife complains about alleged affair with city employee

Sharp by Marcus Stevenson resigned as mayor of Midvale this week comes after allegations surfaced that he had an affair with a city employee.

This accusation came from the mayor’s wife.

“I witnessed my husband, Marcus Stevenson, being in a situation with another person that led me to believe he was involved in an extramarital affair,” Nikki Stevenson wrote in a complaint filed last week with the city. . “During the face-to-face, Marcus admitted to his affair and indicated that he was with ‘someone he works with.’

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

Nikki Stevenson told city officials in a letter obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune 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 communication.” with a city employee who she says was romantically involved with her husband and is his “underling.”

The name of this employee was blacked out in the document.

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

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

“After much thought and with a heavy heart, I am resigning as mayor of Midvale, effective immediately,” Stevenson said in a news release. “My personal life has changed drastically in recent weeks and I decided it would be best for me to leave at this point. I ask for understanding and confidentiality.”

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

She also cited Midvale’s codes, which prohibit supervisors from having such relationships with employees they “supervise in the chain of command.”

Her letter also prohibits “unsolicited sexual harassment, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, if such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.”

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

For its part, city officials declined to say why the mayor resigned or the nature of the allegation, citing the need to uphold Midvale’s personnel policy and protect those involved.

As a result of the complaint, Dahl explained, the city hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations and clear Stevenson of violating state law. He said the firm was in the process of investigating alleged violations of city policy when the mayor resigned, effectively ending the need for further investigation.

It is unclear what action is being taken against the city employee involved in the alleged case.

Stevenson was 27 years old when he was elected in 2021 to lead Midvale’s 36,000 residentswhich made him the youngest mayor in the history of this city. A political activist, he cut his teeth in the political arena, helping in several high-profile campaigns. He was also the political director of a non-profit environmental organization O2 Utah.

An avid skateboarderStephenson was popular with young people, and he became known as an active advocate for affordable housing, community involvement, greater recreational opportunities, and for his efforts to revitalize Main Street and breathe life into other moribund areas of Midvale.

City council members expressed concern over Stevenson’s sudden departure from politics.

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

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