In the background of a board of education race, photos of Matt Gribbin, president of the Smithtown Central School District’s Board of Education, have been rereleased to the public. While the public held knowledge of his modeling career, few would have guessed that Gribbin’s likeness would ever appear in advertisements for one – let alone two – gay porn websites.
Additionally, a candidate for the board, Vlad Pean, has also faced backlash from some community members for comments made about several African Americans during a past board meeting.
“Why is anything different a threat; why are trigger words like white privilege, systemic racism, or critical race theory being used to scare people?” said Pean.
“Your fake thought, non-leaders Professor [inaudible], Thomas Sowell, Candace Owens are a joke in the African American community,” said Pean in a widely circulated online video from a past board appearance. “Their words mean nothing. Just because they are black does not mean what they say is true; Martin Luther King would not approve of them.”
There was a litany of comments on various social media platforms, including “When someone tells you who they are … PAY ATTENTION!!!” One user questioned Pean’s ability to discern the will of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Many of the comments also referenced Pean’s apparent political stances and what they might mean for the district.
“As a mother with kids in the school district, it’s ghastly,” said Mary Ellen Alptekin, in reference to Gribbin, who sent the images to various school board members across Smithtown and Half Hollow Hills School District (Gribbin’s employer).
As stated in her email to various public officials and The Messenger, at the March 8, 2022, meeting of the Smithtown Central School District’s Board of Education, she brought up the topic of Gribbin’s “modeling career” and his photos’ usage by “adult websites.”
In her most recent letter, she also expressed concern over the timeline, with the photos taken and utilized long after Gribbin became an elementary school gym teacher. She also expressed concern that Gribbin allegedly has not tried to have these photos removed.
While it is not illegal to be an adult actor or advertise adult entertainment, it was received coldly by many parents in the district who have voiced concerns digitally.
Gribbin did not respond to The Messenger’s request for comment; therefore, it is impossible to know if these photos were intentionally utilized or if they are another casualty of a predatory industry that often employs bots to scour the internet for images they can use to advertise the websites in question. There is also the question of who has the rights to the photos now.
This photo drop comes off the heels of February’s announcement from the commissioner of education, who felt compelled to comment on Gribbin and Michael Catalanotto’s (fellow board member) actions which “demonstrate a lack of maturity and self-control” at an October 2022 meeting.
