[Image via theadvocate]

Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, facing allegations of sexual harassment by a former employee, resigned effective yesterday. Schedler had already announced earlier that he would not seek re-election and planned to finish out his term through 2019 but ultimately decided on May 1 to leave office due to the ongoing controversy and growing calls for his departure. Here is his resignation letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards:

The resignation will undoubtedly mean a challenging few months for Interim Secretary Ardoin, but given how long the controversy has continued it’s reasonable to believe that some contingency planning for the transition has already taken place. Best of luck to him and to everyone in Louisiana as the state heads into three statewide elections in the next three years. Stay tuned…