A city councilman is calling for an investigation by the Circuit Court into nude photos sent from a member of the Suffolk Electoral Board to the then-voter registrar.

Councilman Charles Brown said he was embarrassed by allegations that David Sylvia, secretary of the city’s appointed Electoral Board, sent a risqué email to Sharon Thornhill, who was then the voter registrar. She left her position four months later.

“I don’t know how the Electoral Board or the Circuit Court feels about it, but I’m embarrassed by it,” Brown said, adding the email was harassment. “No one, I mean no one, in our city should be above the law, and especially those who took an oath to uphold the law.”

Sylvia admits sending the email, but says he only meant to send it to a handful of friends and did not immediately realize others had received it. He found out when Thornhill confronted him about it during her performance evaluation, he said earlier this month.

“How this occurred, whether it was some magic keystroke, or a virus, I don’t know,” Sylvia said. “It certainly was not an intentional email.”

The email features a nude woman having body paint applied over the span of 14 different frames.

Sylvia contends the email had nothing to do with Thornhill’s forced resignation in August.

“That was totally and completely because of job performance,” Sylvia said. “We had already decided there had to be a change in the office.”

Thornhill said she did not immediately confront Sylvia because she was scared.

“It looked like I was entertaining that kind of thing,” she said earlier this month. “At that time, I didn’t know what to do.”

The three-member Electoral Board is appointed by Circuit Court judges based on nominations submitted by the city’s political parties. The Electoral Board then hires the voter registrar.

In an August letter, City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn said a similar action by a supervisor or employee of the city would result in disciplinary action. However, the Electoral Board and registrar are under the control of the State Board of Elections.

“I’m hoping that the Circuit Court will do their due diligence and have an investigation,” Brown said.