Skip navigation

'Lingerie' mayor vows to stay in office

MySpace photos show Oregon mayor posing in black lingerie on fire engine

Multimedia stories
Image: The White House Debuts The Obamas' New Dog Bo, A Portuguese Water Dog
Getty Images
  Who’s a good Bo?
See the Obama family’s frisky new Portuguese water dog pup, Bo, sink his paws into his classy new digs: the White House.
Pete Souza
  Inside Obama's White House
Get a glimpse of President Barack Obama's first 100 days, through the lens of photographer Pete Souza.
Image: Amy Carter goes to school
AP
  First sons and daughters
Under many administrations, the corridors of the White House have resounded with the patter of little feet.
Image: Michelle Obama
Pool via Getty Images
  Michelle Obama's effortless style
The first lady looks as sophisticated in designer dresses as she does in outfits from J. Crew.
  Big changes in store for Oprah?
Nov. 8: Is the queen of daytime television preparing to give up her popular talk show to focus on her own cable network? NBC’s Kevin Tibbles reports, then Rolling Stone contributor Toure and CNBC’s Carmen Wong Ulrich join Jenna Wolfe to discuss the financial and cultural impact of a potential move.

updated 11:49 a.m. ET Jan. 19, 2008

ARLINGTON, Ore. - Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist, whose MySpace photos of her posing in black lingerie on a fire engine put this Columbia River town of 600 into something of a pother, told ABC's 20/20 Friday night that she's not stepping down.

"They're going to have to drag me out of here," she said.

The pictures were taken before she thought of running for mayor, said Kontur-Gronquist, 42, the first woman to hold the unpaid position. She said she had permission from the fire chief to use the engine and had intended to use the photos in a contest about fitness in women.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

A relative set up the MySpace page, hoping it would jump-start her social life, said Kontur-Gronquist, a single parent. Family members uploaded the photos and she said she saw no reason to take them down once elected.

"I had no clue that it would cause such a negative reaction," she said. "I called my council members and apologized. Everyone is entitled to their own private life."

At a council meeting this month some people asked for her to resign.

"People aren't laughing with us, they're laughing at us," said school board member Grant Wilkins.

Others say they see no problem.

Kontur-Gronquist vows to continue as mayor until her term ends in January 2009.

"The first lesson that I learned (as mayor) is that you'll never make everybody happy. That's the toughest," she said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored links

Resource guide