Local mayor caught cross dressing in womens' underwear: the plot thickens

Screen shot from 19 Action News Broadcast. The two faces of East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer? 

Last week, East Cleveland mayor Eric Brewer found himself in a very embarrassing situation: having to explain pictures, supposedly of him, wearing womens' underwear. Now, thanks to investigative reporter Carl Monday, the plot has thickened.

Are the pictures real? Did Brewer know the photos had gotten out before they were leaked to the world? If you choose to believe the source, the answer to the second question seems to be “yes.”

In a recent interview, Monday talked with Brewer's mayoral opponent, Gary Norton. In the interview, Norton related an interesting tale of a conversation that transpired between the two men before Norton decided to run for mayor. Brewer asked Norton if there was any potentially damaging information that could come out. Norton mentioned the pictures, to which Brewer replied, according to Norton, by asking “what pictures?" before finally admitting that one was real, albeit retouched. So what about the rest?

According to Brewer in an email sent back in June (yes, June), the pictures were first downloaded by a police officer, Charles Teal and given to Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, who then turned them over to Norton. Teal denied any involvement, Jones will not comment, and Norton refuses to tell who leaked the photos to him.

Additional damaging information for Brewer comes via taxes. Norton, before he launched his mayoral run, said that he told Brewer by phone that he had to get his financial situation in order. Brewer has been sued for over $15,000 by the state of Ohio for backed takes.

Brewer issued a statement in response to a 19 Action News request for an interview. Brewer stated that his father died recently and that he wishes not to be contacted for interviews about city business. Interestingly, in his official statement responding to the photos last week, Brewer neither acknowledged or denied that the photos were of him, but he did deny receiving phone calls, faxes, mail, and emails about the damaging information now spreading like the plague.

Are the pictures real? There are three possible answers. 1. Yes, they are real. 2. No, they are pictures of a look alike and were spread to smear Brewer's image. 3. Someone did a lot of work in Photoshop (there are about four dozen pictures in all). Answer three is very unlikely, which leaves one and two as the possible solutions.

The plot thickens.

For more info:
Video of Carl Monday's interview with Gary Norton
The photos are leaked