HOUSTON, B.C. — The picture shows Mayor Sharon Smith with a big smile and wearing only her chain of office at the town hall, but she’s not smiling now that the image has gotten into public circulation.
Smith, 48, said that picture and others were stolen from her home computer more than a month ago in this northwestern British Columbia town of 4,300.
"I’m disappointed that the stories seem to focus on what the pictures are instead of that it was a theft from my home," Smith said. "Our family are the ones who are the victims here."
The picture was taken at a private time with her husband and was meant to remain private, the mayor said Monday.
"My husband asked for a specific picture because he was very proud of the fact that I was mayor, and that was what it was intended for.
"No disgrace to the office was intended," she said. "We made sure that we were not infringing on anyone else. It was a private moment, and that’s all it was."
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Dave Fenson said investigators believe someone with access to the computer stole the pictures.
Nipper Kettle, a former town council member, said he recognized the location of the pictures as the mayor’s office and urged Smith to apologize and resign because of a "catastrophic error in judgment."
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