Governor welcomes resignations of 2 Minnesota legislators

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Wednesday welcomed the imminent resignations of two male lawmakers accused of repeated sexual harassment as an important first step to cleaning up misconduct in state politics.

Democratic state Sen. Schoen was the first to move toward an exit, planning a Wednesday afternoon news conference to announce his resignation. He faces a swirl of sexual harassment allegations, including that he grabbed a woman’s buttocks during a political event and sent photos of male genitalia to a female Senate staffer. His attorney said Schoen’s resignation would be effective Dec. 15.

Republican Rep. Tony Cornish announced Tuesday night he’d leave his southwestern Minnesota House by Dec. 1. Cornish was accused of widespread sexual misconduct during his eight terms in the Legislature, including a lobbyist who said Cornish propositioned her for sex dozens of times and once forced her into a wall while trying to kiss her.

“These are very important first steps,” Dayton said of their resignations. Since those allegations first came to light, Dayton launched a review to overhaul the executive branch’s training and reporting procedures for sexual harassment.

Read more: http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2017/11/22/governor-welcomes-resignations-minnesota-legislators/107941320/