Fort Worth,
Texas, has elected its first openly gay public official.
Joel Burns won a runoff election Tuesday night to
represent the ninth district on the city council.
Burns, a real
estate agent, won with 54% of the vote, the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram reported. About 14% of registered
voters participated in the runoff, a decrease from 18% in
the November 6 election.
The ninth
district includes downtown Fort Worth and Texas Christian
University.
The
Star-Telegram's endorsement of Burns called him
the candidate "who is the most knowledgeable about city
issues and takes the widest positions."
Both he and his
opponent, Juan Rangel, had strong Democratic support,
having bested four other candidates in the November election
to advance to Tuesday's runoff.
Burns was
appointed to the city zoning commission this year by his
predecessor, Wendy Davis, who is stepping down to run for
the state senate in 2008. Burns is expected to be
sworn in on January 8 after the city council votes for
a new city manager.
Burns received
fiscal support from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. The
organization's president and CEO, Chuck Wolfe, called
Burns's win a "sweet victory."
"It was
enormously important to have the endorsement of the Victory
Fund," Burns said in a statement. "They understand what it
takes to win, and then they help you do that." (The
Advocate)