Garry Moneypenny Marco Sommerville

Mayor Garry Moneypenny walks into a press conference accompanied by Planning Director Marco Sommerville on June 5, 2015, to announce he will not seek election due to a "too personal" encounter with a city employee.

(John Harper, Northeast Ohio Media Group)

AKRON, Ohio -- Akron Mayor Garry Moneypenny, five days after taking the city's top job, announced he will not run in the upcoming election because of a "too personal" encounter with a city employee.

Moneypenny said that a congratulatory hug in his City Council office on May 24 escalated into an inappropriate encounter. At a press conference Friday he apologized to his family, including his wife of 25 years, and the citizens of Akron.

"I have known this employee for over 14 years. We have always had a very professional relationship and I clearly violated a professional and personal boundary," Moneypenny said. "Words cannot describe the remorse I feel for my actions."

Moneypenny, formerly City Council president, became mayor Sunday after Mayor Don Plusquellic's abrupt resignation. His decision not to run opens up the field for another candidate to oppose Councilman Mike Williams, who announced his mayoral campaign last week.

While Moneypenny said that no one threatened to divulge the encounter, he told media that he believed it would have surfaced in the future.

He defended his decision to remain in office and serve out the remainder of Plusquellic's seventh term. Moneypenny said he will not seek public office in the future, including his Ward 10 city council seat.

"I know this incident calls my character and my trustworthiness into question," Moneypenny said. "I spent 37 years in law enforcement, I've spent years in service to victim's assistance. I regret violating the very same principles I've spent my career upholding."