Carmen Gronquist, Arlington Mayor (MySpace photo)/Map of Arlington, Oregon.
It’s the “Home of the Honkers” not the “City of Good Neighbors” that has a controversy. And it’s Mayor Carmen Kontur Gronquist, not Arlington Heights, Illinois Mayor Arlene Mulder, that has some residents upset. It’s not Mayor Gronquist’s failure to lower water rates as promised, or a plan to close a golf course, that has sparked a controversy. It’s a media leak that put a spotlight on a photo published years ago of Mayor Gronquist in lingerie while standing on or near the running board of one of Arlington’s emergency fire trucks.
FOX News reported that photos published on MySpace were taken before Carmen Gronquist was elected the first woman Mayor of Arlington, Oregon [MAP/SAT]. Serving a population of about 600 people, Carmen Kontur-Gronquist is also the Arlington Fire Department’s executive secretary. The photos were taken in the Arlington firehouse before she was elected mayor three years ago. She did not think to remove the photos from the Internet social networking website after taking office. A group of residents are not pleased with how the news reflects on the reputation of the Arlington community. A concerned citizen’s group is asking for her immediate resignation and may proceed with a recall.