The City Council in Clarion is looking for a new city leader after the mayor resigned Wednesday after being found guilt of inappropriate behavior. John Ofstethun handed in his resignation after a judgment against him was filed in Wright County in a simple assault charge that involved a dispatcher at the Wright County Sheriff’s Office.
Ofstethun allegedly touched the breasts of the dispatcher in June while joking around. His attorney had argued the dispatcher was a willing participant in the activity. Ofstethun will be sentenced in September.
The Clarion City Council will meet Friday to determine the next step in finding a replacement for Ofstethun, who’s been mayor since 2002 and is a retired Clarion police officer and a former reserve deputy.
Clarion City Attorney Bob Brinston said yesterday that the council could decide to let mayor pro-tem Mike Nail to take over as mayor until an election in 60 days or could appoint a new mayor from the ranks of the city council.