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Democrat admits photo of topless woman shown at school lecture was his
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
Published on Friday, Apr 25, 2008
When state Rep. Matthew Barrett, D-Amherst, inadvertently flashed a photo of a topless woman on a wall during a presentation to high school students last year, the lawmaker blamed his teenage son for loading the photograph on a portable memory stick.
Thursday, Barrett announced he is resigning his seat in the Ohio House, a day after he admitted the photograph was his and not his son's.
Barrett was not available for comment.
The incident, which occurred at Norwalk High School, has been under investigation in Huron County. The Norwalk city law director, Stuart O'Hara, has referred the investigation report and the case to an outside prosecutor.
Sandusky County Prosecutor Thomas Stierwalt, who has taken the case and will decide whether to bring charges against Barrett, was unavailable for comment Thursday. The report was not available for review.
House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, said she asked Barrett to resign after a meeting Wednesday in which he admitted lying. State Rep. Chris Redfern, D-Catawba Island, who is chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, also attended.
''He had not been forthright with his answers,'' Beatty said. ''Last year, when the incident oc
curred at the school with the photos on the screen and he said they were his son's, we embraced him. At the meeting, he acknowledged the photos were his and I have no tolerance for that. I asked for his resignation.''
Beatty said she found it ''appalling'' that Barrett would falsely implicate his son.
She did not ask about the photos or view them, Beatty said.
Barrett, who lives in Lorain County, was lecturing students on democracy and explaining the bill-making process when he began a PowerPoint presentation. Suddenly, a topless woman appeared on the screen.
The police and State Highway Patrol were contacted and asked to investigate.
In the days that followed, Barrett said little about the incident, but it became apparent that the blame was being placed on one of his children.
Beatty, who demanded Barrett's resignation Thursday, took up his cause last year by releasing a prepared statement that attempted to explain what happened at the high school:
''Matt Barrett is a good legislator and a good friend. This situation is a matter between him, his teen-aged son and his family. This is not legislative, this is not political, this is purely personal. We consider this matter a moot point, and I look forward to continuing to work with Matt in serving the people of Ohio.''
On Thursday, Beatty said Barrett violated the trust he established with her and his colleagues in the legislature.
Democrats in the Ohio House will fill the vacancy, but Barrett's resignation hampers their efforts to win a majority of the 99 seats in the lower chamber this fall.
Republicans have a 53-46 lead. Democrats were counting on Barrett, who won in 2006 by a little more than 2,000 votes, to hold his seat in a strong Republican district, which includes all of Huron and parts of Lorain and Seneca counties west of Cleveland.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
When state Rep. Matthew Barrett, D-Amherst, inadvertently flashed a photo of a topless woman on a wall during a presentation to high school students last year, the lawmaker blamed his teenage son for loading the photograph on a portable memory stick.
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