San Marino’s dog poop slinging Mayor resigned Tuesday in embarrassment and backlash from the community for tossing dog feces onto a neighbor’s yard.
Surveillance of Mayor Dennis Kneier tossing the bag of excrement onto neighbor Phillip Lao’s lawn on June 7, stirred up the community. Kneier downplayed the incident saying he was simply moving the bag. However Lao challenges that excuse, claiming the incident may have been retaliation for opposition of a dog park proposal, Breitbart News reported on June 10.
At a City Council meeting on June 11, an estimated 100 citizens flooded a 49 person capacity Council Chamber, to voice their grievances over not only what they deemed “Poopgate,” but also the Mayor’s public service record according to the Pasadena Star News.
Kneier cited embarrassment over the event for both himself and the city as the reason for stepping down as Mayor. He will remain on San Marino’s City Council and will be replaced with Councilman Eugene Sun until June 27 when the Council will choose a new mayor.
Sun was complimentary of Kneier’s work while Mayor in comments to Star News and cited Kneier’s CPA background as an important part of city budgeting. Kneier also faces a littering fine for his actions.