Metro

Scandal pol Kellner: I’m through

Embattled Upper East Side Assemblyman Micah Kellner — sanctioned for allegedly hitting on a female staffer — won’t be running for re-election.

Kellner told the East Side Democratic Club Thursday night he’s relinquishing his seat at the end of his term this year because the controversy surrounding his alleged misconduct has become a distraction. He said he was stepping aside because his constituents are entitled to an election focused on issues “and not a referendum based on sensationalized . . . allegations.”

He got trounced when he ran for City Council last year after e-mails surfaced showing him allegedly making sexually suggestive comments to a female staffer.

Kellner, 35, later apologized, saying he was single at the time and the messages were intended to be “flirtatious” and that he stopped sending them when the staffer objected.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stripped Kellner of his leadership positions and perks after an ethics panel found that he violated the chamber’s sexual harassment policy and created a hostile working environment.

Kellner is appealing the decision in an attempt to clear his name.