Robert Landon took office under a cloud of controversy and left under a thunderstorm.
The Republican was elected Marion City Auditor in 2019 despite being criminally charged with campaign violations on Election Day.
Those charges, which were brought by Democratic City Law Director Mark Russell, were eventually dismissed, but the controversy chasing Landon did not end. Landon’s saga was one of the Marion Star’s stories of 2021.
More:Always under attack: Robert Landon’s rocky road as Marion City Auditor
Landon clashed frequently with Mayor Scott Schertzer, a Democrat, and members of City Council over whether the city’s books were balanced and why his office mistakenly paid $1.28 million to the state that was intended for the IRS, resulting in a $153,000 penalty. He also faced criticism when one of his employees fell for a $4,000 email scam.
His tenure ended in a spat with council where Landon accused one member of stealing his mail despite police saying there was no mail to steal. The Crawford County prosecutor determined Landon shouldn’t face charges for filing a fraudulent police report. The prosecutor noted that while Landon “clearly didn’t understand the process,” no charges were warranted.
It didn’t help Landon that he also was suffering from a COVID-19 infection that forced him to be hospitalized and miss several weeks of work.
In his Oct. 14 resignation letter, he stated he was resigning to protect his wife and children from political attacks and to allow for more time…
