Ohio Official Quits Bush Campaign

An Ohio Official Quits Campaign
By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Published: August 31, 2004


CINCINNATI, Aug. 30 -The chairman of President Bush's campaign in Southwest Ohio resigned on Monday, days after acknowledging a three-year affair with a woman in his office.

The chairman, Michael Allen, who is the Hamilton County prosecutor, also scrapped plans to attend the Republican National Convention as a delegate, partly to address sexual harassment accusations by the woman, Rebecca Collins, an assistant county prosecutor.

The Republican Party has named no replacement.

In a federal lawsuit filed on Thursday, Ms. Collins contended that Mr. Allen had used his position to demand sexual favors from 1999 until this year. The county Board of Commissioners, which Ms. Collins also sued, began an investigation on Friday.