June 20, 2008
Santa Rosa, CA, Gets First Gay Mayor
John Sawyer, former vice mayor of the city of Santa Rosa, was elected by the city council to fill the remaining six months left open by the death of Mayor Bob Blanchard (who died Saturday of cancer).
Kudos to councilmember Susan Gorin, who was nominated for the Sawyer’s vice mayor slot, and then nominated for mayor — a nomination she quickly declined. In fact, Gorin, the swing vote, voted against herself and for Sawyer:
“I really appreciate the thought,” [Gorin] told Jacobi and Pierce [the councilmember who nominated her for mayor, and the councilmember who seconded the nomination], “but I also am interested in moving forward in a cooperative, transitional way.”Then she cast the swing vote, voting against herself to join [Carol] Dean, Sawyer and Councilwoman Jane Bender in selecting Sawyer as mayor.
We say: Very nice. Very classy.
As for being the city’s first openly gay mayor, Sawyer is blasé, but recognizes his own significance:
“For me, it’s a non-issue,” he said. “For others, it’s a very major issue. The voters who elected me didn’t think it was an issue. But for gay youth who maybe are struggling, to them having a gay mayor is meaningful.”
More on Sawyer (including a picture) at the Press Democrat.
Filed under: California, Democrats
