Virginia voters
on Tuesday elected the state's first openly gay black
public official.
Virginia voters
on Tuesday elected the state's first openly gay black
public official. Lawrence Webb won a seat on the Falls
Church city council, according to the Gay and Lesbian
Victory Fund. He won one of three available positions
with 1,215 votes in a close race -- coming in third
and beating out the fourth candidate by 39 votes. Incumbent
Robin Gardner and Nader Baroukh won the other two
seats.
“I also
hope my election opens the door for others to get involved
in public service,” Webb said in a statement
released by the Victory Fund. “It
doesn’t matter if you’re gay or black or both.
What matters is your dedication to building a better
community and your willingness to work hard at
it.”
Webb is assistant
dean of admissions at the University of Mary Washington
and is a member of the Falls Church City Democratic
Committee. Former Virginia governor Mark Warner
appointed Webb to the board of the Department of
Correctional Education.
“While the
presidential race is grabbing national headlines, openly gay
candidates and elected officials are making great strides
under the radar,” said Chuck Wolfe, president
and CEO of the Victory Fund, in the press release.
“Lawrence’s historic win is just one example
of this. I’m also extraordinarily proud of the
work our team did in the field yesterday. They made
calls until their cell phones went dead, and in the
end their work contributed directly to Lawrence’s
close win.” (The Advocate)
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