| Parkersburg Mayor Robert Newell has retired ahead of a scheduled hearing on petitions to remove him from office.
Newell has been under fire for several months after an affair with a city official was disclosed, linked to the misuse of funds.
The state Supreme Court had appointed a three-judge panel to hear separate petitions by Wood County Republican Party chairman Rob Cornelius and Parkersburg City Council member Karen Coram.
Among the allegations against the 62-year-old Newell were misconduct and neglect of duty.
Newell says his wife was on the hearing's witness list and he didn't want to put her through the stress of testifying.
See PARKERSBURG MAYOR UNDER FIRE OVER MISUSE OF FUNDS, AFFAIR - Police Remove Records From City Hall, Finance Director Charged With Child Neglect | 
