Elmo Accuser #2 -- 'I'm Happy' Kevin Clash Resigned

The man who claims Elmo voice actor Kevin Clash sexually abused him as a 15-year-old says he's "happy" and "relieved" Clash called it quits on "Sesame Street" -- because the scandal could have wreaked even more havoc on the kids' TV show.

The accuser Cecil Singleton -- who's now 24 -- was out in NYC with his lawyer today when he reacted to the news ... that Clash resigned in the immediate wake of Singleton's lawsuit.

Singleton is suing Clash for more than $5 million, claiming Clash preyed on him as a child "to satisfy his depraved sexual interests."

Singleton also says Clash desperately tried to conceal his connection to "Sesame Street" during their courtship in 2003 -- claiming, "It was essential to him that I not find out who he actually was."

Singleton says he was motivated to file his lawsuit by Clash's first accuser Sheldon Stephens.