ARLINGTON, Ore. – Opponents of a small-town eastern Oregon mayor who created a buzz with scantily clad pictures of herself on MySpace have collected enough signatures to force a recall vote.
Carmen Kontur-Gronquist's photos featured her posing on a town fire engine wearing only a black bra and panties.
Recall efforts are fairly common in small Oregon cities. Supporters of this one say the photos were inappropriate, and they disagree with the mayor on water issues and what to do with the local golf course.
Rena Kennedy, the Gilliam County clerk, confirmed Tuesday that a sufficient number of signatures on the recall petition matched voting records, The Oregonian newspaper reported. Only 41 names were required in this city of roughly 500 people.
The mayor will be given five days to resign or submit a statement explaining her record in office. Under Oregon's constitution, a recall election would be scheduled after the five days have elapsed. It would be held within 35 days.
The mayor, who has said she has no intention of resigning, mailed a letter to voters in response to the recall drive. Kontur-Gronquist has said the photos were taken before she was elected mayor three years ago, and she saw no reason to remove them from her MySpace page after taking office.
In a recent appearance on ABC's "20/20," Kontur-Gronquist 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. A relative set up the MySpace page in hopes it would jump-start her social life, said Kontur-Gronquist, a single parent.
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