Special to The Plain DealerEast Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer with Inside Edition staff.

By John Caniglia Plain Dealer Reporter

East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer admitted Tuesday that he dressed in women's lingerie in photos that many say derailed his re-election chance last month, a television program reported.

"That is me in those pictures," Brewer told Inside Edition, adding that he put the clothes and wig on at the suggestion of a girlfriend, according to the program that aired on WOIO Channel 19.

According to a news release from the television show Inside Edition, Les Trent told Brewer in the interview, "No offense, but you weren’t the best looking woman."

Brewer said: "To the lady I was with, I looked great. We had a good time."

The revelation prompted one of Brewer's critics on City Council, Mildred Brewer, to call for his resignation.

"He is a disgrace to the city, as far as I'm concerned," said Brewer, who is not related to the mayor. "We have been disgraced nationally. I think a man should be a man, and a woman should be a woman."

Mayor Eric Brewer, a first-term incumbent, lost to Councilman Gary Norton on Sept. 29 in a Democratic primary. Norton grabbed 64 percent of the vote, taking 2,015 votes to Brewer's 1,147.

Since there are no Republicans running for office, Norton takes office Jan. 1.

Mayor Brewer has called for a criminal investigation into how the pictures were released. Attempts to reach Brewer at City Hall were unsuccessful.

In the past few weeks, he blamed Norton and his critics in city government, but would not say whether he was the person in the released photos.

Norton said he had nothing to do with the pictures and said the pictures tainted his campaign and distracted voters away from the real issues facing the city.

"The pictures hurt us just as much as they hurt him," Norton said. "It undermined all of our work. We ran a positive campaign, which takes more work than a negative one."

But Norton stressed that the photographs had little to do with his victory. He said he won by the same margin with absentee voters who filed their ballots before the photos became public.

Brewer told Inside Edition that he is concerned about the possible embarrassment to his son, Chase.

"He has been relentless in teasing me," the mayor said during the interview. "I'm dad. I'm mom. He hasn't called me Tootsie yet."

Not all members of East Cleveland City Council agreed with colleague Mildred Brewer, who pushed for the mayor's resignation.

"If it is him, it is his private life, and it doesn't take away from his abilities to do his job," said Councilman Nathaniel Martin. "From a public relations standpoint, it creates more problems than the city of East Cleveland needs."










[Edited 10/6/09 23:35pm]

[Edited 10/6/09 23:37pm]

Well, he better not endorse conservative values in public.

... and why doesn't my girlfriend dress up like that in private?

These pictures are hardly a "disgrace"

He's not breaking any laws, just having a good time. I really don't see what the big deal is?

It's not like he's smoking crack with a prostitute or something

WORK HONEY!

I took off my ipod for this half expecting to see that transexual mayor

BREWER VS. BREWER

A CROSSDRESSING DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL LOVE STORY.

It all began one dark night at the club de flur over a glass of skinny margeritas.

So basically he did it one time and he's a disgrace???

Those frat boys and future politicians in Harvard and Yale better watch out.