Caught on Tape Flinging Dog Poo, Mayor Dennis Kneier Resigns

Mayor Dennis Kneier, who found himself in the national spotlight when he was captured on surveillance video tossing a bag of dog poop onto a neighbor's yard, resigned today.

Kneier, however, will remain on the City Council. His term ends in November 2015. Vice Mayor Eugene Sun will serve as mayor until June 27, when the council will meet to select a new mayor and vice mayor.

"This has been a challenging few days for our city and we're hopeful that with Kneier's decision, and with his public and private expressions of regret for the incident, we can move forward," Sun said.

Kneier sent a letter to the city and other council members announcing his decision, citing the public fallout and embarrassment to himself and the city over the dog poop incident. He said his actions were "insensitive, disrespectful and wrong."

"I can understand why this matter has some questioning my ability to lead the council," Kneier wrote. "I want to assure you that something like this will not happen again.

"... Be assured that my love for the city of San Marino is not diminished, and I will continue to do my best as a council member to fulfill the duties for which I was elected, and at the same time, restore the public's confidence in me."

Kneier was caught on surveillance video June 7 tossing the bag of poop onto San Marino resident Philip Lao's yard in the 1400 block of Charlton Road. The mayor was cited for littering.

The video of the mayor tossing the bag was aired repeatedly on television news broadcasts, and went viral online.

--City News Service