Monroe County Legislator Stephen Eckel abruptly removed two nude photos of himself from a personal website on Friday after being questioned about them by a television reporter.The New York Post has one of the shots here.
Eckel, 46, a Democrat from Rochester in the midst of a re-election campaign, said in a phone interview that he took the photos of himself in 2000 as a student at the Visual Studies Workshop while working on a master of fine arts degree at The College at Brockport. He received the degree a year later.
The sepia-toned photos, taken with a wide lens at an elevated angle, were full frontal nude shots of Eckel, but were not sexual in nature. He described them as art.
They were part of a portfolio of Eckel's from that time that he said he showcased on the Internet to find photography work and jobs teaching photography. He has periodically taught photography at local colleges since then.
Eckel said he had never been questioned about the appropriateness of the photos until today, when he was contacted by a reporter from 13WHAM-TV, who had learned of the photos from the Monroe County Republican Committee.
"This is nothing more than a Republican stooping to a new low in order to distract the public from the real issues facing Monroe County taxpayers," Eckel said. "These were taken 10 years ago as part of a portfolio that helped me earn a master's of fine arts. Clearly, they have nothing to do with my service in my district."
Eckel said he removed the photos because they would "deflect attention from the true issues of the campaign." Asked if he would post them again after the campaign, he said that would be something he would have to consider.
Tony Micciche, who is challenging Eckel for the seat in the 26th District — which covers parts of Rochester, Gates and Greece — said such photos, even as artistic works, show poor judgment.
"How do you trust someone who posts naked pictures of himself on the Internet?" Micciche asked. "He's an elected official. He should be held to a higher standard."
Update: Also posted at the new and improved JWF.
6 comments:
Show your wiener to be a LOSER! And the dope was 36 at the time. That's bad imagery on all levels.
Democrat+Photos+Internet+Cell Phone Pictures=Embarassment. Why do they do it indeed!
"These were taken 10 years ago as part of a portfolio that helped me earn a master's of fine arts. "
After seeing the terrible "photo" in the Post article, the school that gave him his MFA should have their accrediation revoked. I've spent 40 years as a professional photographer and I am so tired of crap like that being passed off as quality photography. Schools that just take peoples money and then blow smoke up their ass telling them how great they are. As long as they continue to pay they get a degree.
Whattsa big deal? Ya can't get the 18-24 women off Facebook and out to the polls without showing a little sepia-toned netherbits. 10 years from now, all the pols will be doing this. (just kidding)
Well, as much as I'd like to pile on, at least he wasn't sending them to young women while being married. It probably was just a case of showcasing bad art, but a stupid thing to do, being in the public eye and all he should have known better, that alone is almost reason enough to kick him to the curb. But really we should focus on his destructive socialist policy rather than his stupidity.
Well...as the chair of an art department where Steve Eckel was an adjunct professor I find the "it's on my grad portfolio and i hadn't even thought of that in a million years" excuse entirely believable.
Really folks - the nude photo is not at all uncommon. I do think he was shortsighted as a public figure not to -- umm -- curate his online presence.
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