A nude photo the mayor of Hernando wanted to be kept private is now public, all because the woman he texted it to made it public. She sent it to some of the Hernando aldermen. 
 
 Mayor Chip Johnson said he wishes it never happened. 
 
 "I wish it had not been sent obviously," Johnson said. "Of course it was something very stupid that should not have been done. I guess I'm paying the price." 
 
 The photo was taken in the shower. 
 
 "It's between two consenting adults and it was something that was meant to remain private. Obviously, it is not anymore," Johnson said. 
 
 Mayor Johnson sent the photo to a woman in Little Roch he was dating. We are told the mayor is going through a divorce. 
 
 The photo was sent the day after Christmas to some of the Hernando aldermen with the message "your mayor." 
 
 Johnson said he trusted the woman. 
 
 "There are just probably some things you should not trust. Obviously this is one of them," Johnson said. 
 
 WMC Action News 5's Janice Broach talked with the woman by phone. She said she did not want to talk about it and to let the mayor talk. 
 
 People in Hernando were surprised by the photo. 
 
 "Outrageous to me. Blows my mind," one resident said. 
 
 "He shouldn't do anything like that in an office like that," another said. 
 
 Johnson said while he regrets the photo, it has nothing to do with his job as mayor of Hernando. 
 
 "Obviously this was something very private and personal with me. This has nothing to do with the city of Hernando. It does not interfere with my job. I govern this city everyday," Johnson said. 
 
 Copyright 2016 WMC Action News 5. All rights reserved. ||||| Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson (Aaron Turner/Special to The Commercial Appeal) 
 
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 By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal 
 
 Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson confirmed Thursday evening that he is the man in a nude photo being circulated on social media. 
 
 Johnson, 49, said the photo was taken last year and was meant to be a private photo between him and a consenting adult woman. 
 
 Johnson is in the process of a divorce. 
 
 "I had a private indiscretion with an adult woman who decided to make it public," Johnson said by phone. "I hope it doesn't reflect on the city." 
 
 Johnson said he knows who released the photo, a frontal shot in the shower. 
 
 Asked if he had just learned of its release, the mayor said only that he had known the photo was out there but had hoped it wouldn't be newsworthy. 
 
 "I think this sort of thing probably goes on hundreds of times in DeSoto County," he said. 
 
 Johnson said he is conferring with an attorney because the photo was intended to be private. 
 
 He said he doesn't think it will affect his ability to run the city as mayor. 
 
 "I've been governing effectively for the past 10 years," Johnson said. "I was out talking to people today. I will continue to do my job." 
 
 Johnson said he thought at least some of the city's seven aldermen received the photo from the unidentified woman who released it. Only one, Andrew Miller, could be reached Thursday evening. He declined to comment. 
 
 Johnson has been mayor of Hernando, the DeSoto County seat, since 2005. During his tenure, the city has received national accolades for its emphasis on creating a healthy and sustainable community, including an award-winning Farmers Market and strong recreational programs. 
 
 A former Mississippi Municipal League president, Johnson considered a run for state Transportation Commissioner last year, but dropped the bid when incumbent Mike Tagert lost a run for Congress. 
 
 He is not the first mayor of a DeSoto County city to become entangled in a sexual incident. Former Southaven Mayor Greg Davis was cited by the state for improper spending of city funds, including purchases at a Canadian sex shop. Davis later admitted he is gay.
– A Mississippi city's aldermen now know a little bit more about their mayor than they probably wanted to. The Clarion-Ledger reports a woman who had been in a romantic relationship with Hernando mayor Chip Johnson sent a naked photo of him—a selfie that he had sent to her—to the city's aldermen. The aldermen received the photo, along with the message "your mayor," the day after Christmas, according to WMC. Johnson says he doesn't know why the woman decided to make his photo, taken in the shower, public and he is no longer in a relationship with her. "It's hurtful to have trust in someone and have that trust violated," he tells the Clarion-Ledger. Johnson, 49, is currently going through a divorce. The unidentified woman, when contacted by WMC, says she doesn't want to talk about the photo or her reasons for sending it. Johnson is seeking legal options against her, the Commercial Appeal reports. "I had a private indiscretion with an adult woman who decided to make it public," Johnson says. "I hope it doesn't reflect on the city." Since he became its mayor in 2005, Hernando has received a number of "national accolades." Johnson has no plans to step down over his naked selfie and says he can't be the only person in the county who's sent a nude photo to a romantic partner. (So-called revenge porn is a felony in some states.)