State Transportation Commissioner Joseph Marie, in an interview just hours after his surprise resignation last week, adamantly denied that there had been any complaints about him before his departure and said he had not been presented with any allegations of misconduct by Gov. M. Jodi Rell or her staff.

"That's not true," Marie said last Thursday when asked if there had been any complaint about his behavior that led to his resignation. The inquiry, he said, was "the proverbial 'When did you stop beating your wife?' question." He added that Rell would defend his assertion that he had left his post "in good standing."

But Rell, through spokesmen and in person, repeatedly refused to add any explanation of the departure of one of her most high-profile appointees or to knock down the rumors that roiled the state capital for nearly a week.

Then Wednesday, one day after the governor again ducked questions about Marie at a public appearance by saying they should be addressed to him personally, Rell broke her silence to the Connecticut Mirror, acknowledging that Marie had resigned after being confronted with a complaint about his behavior.

In a statement released after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the governor said: "My office was contacted by a person representing a DOT employee who had alleged inappropriate behavior by the Commissioner. Legal counsel for the Governor's Office conducted a preliminary inquiry into the allegation."

While Rell said no formal investigation was initiated, she did say that once a "preliminary inquiry" was finished, "Commissioner Marie was offered an opportunity to resign and he did so."

An administration source said last week that the complaint against Marie was an allegation of unwanted advances toward a female subordinate, but the governor's office has so far refused to confirm any details.

"I moved expeditiously in seeking this resignation," Rell said Wednesday. "First and foremost, to end any alleged inappropriate and unacceptable behavior, and also to resolve the situation in a way that was respectful to the employee involved and all of the people affected, including innocent family members."

In an interview Wednesday after Rell's statement was released, Marie said he had been called to a meeting and asked to offer his resignation, but was never presented with "any specific allegations of inappropriate behavior."

Asked why he had at first denied that such a confrontation had taken place, Marie said he had been "astonished by the whole thing" and that he believed he was upholding his end of his resignation agreement with the state by not discussing his firing.

"Look, I'm trying to be a gentleman about this," Marie said in response to a question about whether he felt he had been "railroaded" by Rell and her subordinates. "And I tried to live up to what I believed and I still have lived up to my end of the obligation as it relates to my departure. So, you know, saying I got railroaded - I don't want to do that.

"I'm devastated by it, my family is devastated by it," he said. "And the reality is that no one has ever made any type of claim against me, either through the (Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities) or elsewhere, and I can tell you that I'd be absolutely astonished that anyone in the workplace said that I ever did anything wrong."

Marie said the governor's office informed him Wednesday that it intended to release his resignation agreement and that he asked for a hearing before the Freedom of Information Commission to oppose its release. The governor's legal counsel informed him that it would release the document anyway, Marie said.

The governor's office did not comply with The Day's request for public records that would have documented Marie's resignation "for personal reasons in lieu of dismissal," but a copy of his agreement was provided to the Connecticut Mirror. In that agreement, Marie agreed to resign effective July 29 but immediately relinquish his access to state buildings and resources in exchange for a statement that he resigned "in good standing."

Announcing Marie's resignation in a press release last week, Rell said the following: "I thank Joe Marie for his service to the state of Connecticut and wish him well as he pursues other opportunities. Joe made a significant contribution to DOT over the last two years and his leadership will be missed. I have full confidence that (DOT Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey) Parker will continue moving the DOT in the dynamic new direction that I have set."

Marie, in interviews that day and the next, insisted the same, saying he had decided to resign to pursue other employment and under the expectation that a new administration would bring in new leadership for the DOT next year.

Rell, through spokesmen and in person, refused to budge until Wednesday from her initial statement. The "no comments" even extended to a challenge offered by Marie himself in an interview last week about the rumors that he had been accused of sexual harassment.

"Whoever is giving you this information, I don't know why they're doing it," Marie said at the time. "I left in good standing; the governor would agree with that."

But the governor refused to confirm or deny that account last week.

Asked on Tuesday at a public appearance in Rocky Hill if she could elaborate on Marie's departure, Rell again refused to explain.

"I said the other day that he offered his resignation, I accepted it," she said. "If, you know, if, frankly, I think if people want to talk about it, they can talk to Joe Marie."

Rell's spokesman, Rich Harris, did not return a message for comment on the governor's belated explanation Wednesday, and Marie also did not return a call.

An attorney believed to be representing Marie's accuser also did not respond to a message on Wednesday evening.

At her public event on Tuesday, Rell said she didn't believe Marie's departure would imperil any of the major transportation projects with which the governor had tasked him over the preceding two years, including the state's application for federal funding for a commuter rail connecting New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Mass., and the long-delayed promise of robust commuter service along Shore Line East from New Haven to New London.

"Everything is on target," Rell said, adding that she was seeking a meeting with Parker, Marie's replacement, to discuss the state's pending projects.

"Nothing has changed," the governor said. "Our commitment is still there. Very much so."

t.mann@theday.com