Medford mayor resigns six weeks after sexual allegations

Chris Myers, embroiled in a sex scandal begun six weeks ago by an alleged male escort, resigned today as mayor of Medford Township.

Myers, who served 10 years on council, submitted a letter to the town clerk and manager in which he said his resignation was immediate.

"My work commitments will not allow me to devote the time that is needed in the months ahead," Myers wrote.

Myers was suspended from his job as a vice president at Lockheed Martin's Moorestown campus after the allegations surfaced, according to published reports. Since then, a spokesman for the defense contractor has said the company would have no comment on Myers' status at the company.

Chris Russell, Myers' campaign manager when he unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Republican in 2008, said Myers issued this statement:

"While I am proud of my service to Medford Township, I am looking forward to leaving the public arena and enjoying the next chapter of my life with the most wonderful family and friends any one could ask for."

Myers would have no further comment, Russell said.

The man who identified himself only as an escort said in e-mail to town officials and to the Burlington County Times that Myers had paid him $500 to have sex in a California hotel room in October 2010. The man also said that Myers had failed to give him promised gifts, including a car.

The allegations and pictures of a man who resembled Myers lying on a bed in his underwear, as well as a photo of Myers' mayoral ID, appeared in a posting on the sexually oriented Rentboy.com website.

Myers, the married father of two children who has lived in Medford all of his life, denied the allegations at a council meeting Nov. 2. He refused to elaborate other than to call the Internet a "murky, anonymous place" where anyone can post anything.

Since then, Myers has failed to show up at meetings and turned off his e-mail account.

His resignation letter listed the accomplishments of the town during his tenure but made no mention of the scandal.