Prinzivalli Campaign Removes Photos From Website After Complaints

WILMINGTON, MA -- Republican Pina Prinzivalli said she removed photos from her campaign Website and Facebook page after receiving complaints from a Wilmington resident over the weekend. The woman was upset that, while campaigning door-to-door, a photo of Prinzivalli talking to the women and her children was taken on private property and used on the campaign sites without her permission.

"We received a private message from an individual this afternoon and was more than happy to quickly oblige their request," Prinzivalli's campaign said in a statement emailed to Patch Monday afternoon.

Prinzivalli is one of nine candidates running for the state representative seat previously held by James Miceli, who died last month. Prinzivalli announced her run late last year, but Miceli's death prompted eight other candidates, including one Republican, to jump into the race for the seat that represents Tewksbury and Wilmington.

While the woman did not identify Prinzivalli when she posted her initial complaint to a Facebook group for Wilmington residents, Patch confirmed that it was part of a weekend door-to-door campaigning effort by the Republican. The woman said she was unaware that the photos were being taken and upset that it implied she was backing Prinzivalli.

Throughout her campaign, Prinzivalli has used photos of herself campaigning on social media. But this appears to be the first time someone has complained about being in one of those photos.

One of the Democrats in the race, former Wilmington Selectman Judy O'Connell commented on the woman's Facebook post about Prinzivalli's campaign tactic.

"As a candidate in the race I just want to share for the record that this was not me. I’m sorry for this upsetting experience.," O'Connell wrote. That prompted Republican Erin Buckley of Tewksbury, who will face Prinzivalli in the Republican primary for the seat in September, to also clarify it was not her.

"As a female candidate ALSO running for this seat, I would like to echo Judy O'Connells statement. This was NOT me. These kind of ambush optics borders on the paparazzi; it is a disgrace to our citizens privacy, and it speaks to the lack of both professional and political understanding of the candidate who’s doing this.," Buckley wrote.

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Patch file photo by Pina Prinzivalli for State Reresentative.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).