Portland Oregon Elects First Open Gay Mayor

[Parche]

Portland elects its first openly gay mayor


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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Commissioner Sam Adams easily won the Portland mayoral race, making this city the largest in the U.S. to ever elect an openly gay mayor.

Check: Election results

Also: Doyle upsets Drake for Beaverton mayor

Adams avoided a November runoff by winning 58 percent of the vote with more than 80 percent of the ballots counted Tuesday night. Businessman Sho Dozono had 34 percent and almost a dozen minor candidates split the rest.


Adams, 44, said his main goals for the city are to improve the economy, reduce the dropout rate in public schools and prepare for the influx of people moving to the region.


The mayor-elect's sexual orientation was never an issue in the contest, but Adams was aware of the history he was widely expected to make.



"I'm running not to be a gay mayor, but a great mayor," he said after delivering his victory speech. "But I'm very cognizant, very aware that I'm the first openly gay mayor of a major American city. That's a real honor."


Adams seemed equally proud that he was able to rise from a small town to become the mayor of Oregon's biggest city: "I used to deliver The Oregonian as a newspaper boy in Newport, Ore.; I never thought I'd ever actually be in it."


Known as a policy wonk and City Hall insider, Adams served as chief aide to Mayor Vera Katz for more than a decade before getting elected to the Portland City Council in 2004. He will replace Tom Potter, who announced last September he would not run for a second term. Under Portland's commission form of government, the mayor and four city commissioners share executive branch duties.


KGW's Talk of the Town Blog:
Political analyst Len Bergstein

Professor Jack Bogdanski
With a population of more than 500,000, Portland is by far the largest city in a state that in 2004 voted to amend its constitution to declare that marriage is only legal when it's between a man and a woman.


Asked if it was odd that he can be mayor -- but not married -- in Oregon, Adams said it was "surreal."


"With the position of mayor comes life and death authority and responsibility in running a police force, emergency preparedness system and fire departments," he said. "But gay folks still can't be trusted to be married."

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I am glad he beat Show Dozono, as he is horrible to his employees, and is nothing but a show boat.

on the other hand, Sam Adams did 'stab' a very good friend of mine in the back, so he is not on my list of people in Portland i would like to have a beer with, but I am still glad he won.

:hi:

[slampoet]

1. This needs a headline change. Providence, RI elected an out Gay mayor 5 years ago.

The article addresses the "biggest city so far" qualification but the headline is inaccurate.

[FreeState]

2. I disagree on both accounts - the article title is in reference to Portland not the US

and the largest city in America ever to have a gay mayor is San Diego - for 4 months in 2006 Toni Atkins was acting mayor - she is an out lesbian. Never mind Chula Vista CA (population 210,000) that had an open gay man for Mayor for 4 years - elected in 2002.

[slampoet]

3. So i think we all agree that this is a great event covered by a lazy/crappy reporter.