GOP official quits after dropping 'N-word' in outburst — but can't leave office yet

A Connecticut Republican election official is stepping down after using the N-word during a workplace argument with her Democratic counterpart, though a bureaucratic quirk means the town is legally required to keep paying her salary for weeks to come.

Mary Smith, East Lyme's Republican registrar of voters, allegedly shouted that Democratic registrar Wendi Sims "treats me like I'm a (N-word)" during a dispute over the cleanliness of their shared office space, The Daily Beast reported.

The confrontation happened during early voting for Connecticut's primary election earlier this month, with several poll workers present to hear the remark. Both women are white.

After Sims reported the incident, East Lyme Republicans voted unanimously to censure Smith, describing the incident only as "language used during a workplace argument," and town officials pushed her to resign. Smith has apologized for her conduct.

In a letter to the town clerk Friday, Smith announced her resignation would take effect November 19 and asked to have her name pulled from the ballot for November's general election. But the local GOP made clear its hands are tied on speeding up her exit.

"The East Lyme Republicans does not have the authority to either dismiss an elected town official from their position or remove their name(s) from a ballot in an upcoming election," the party said in a statement.

Because Smith's resignation isn't effective until mid-November, the town remains legally obligated to continue paying her salary until that date, according to The Day — meaning taxpayers will keep footing the bill for weeks after the controversy forced her out.

It's the latest in a long list of Republican officials being caught using racial slurs. Earlier this year, the GOP mayor of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, threw a tantrum over not being allowed to use the N-word.