Though he was elected to replace outgoing mayor Tom Potter back in May, Portland, Ore.'s gay mayor Sam Adams was finally sworn in at 12:01 a.m. on New Year's Day. The Oregonian reports that about 40 people were there to witness the ceremony, including his partner, Peter Zuckerman.
Though Adams's sexuality never became a factor in the race, before it officially began, he was the subject of a smear campaign from a would-be rival, gay real estate developer Bob Ball.
Ball attempted to link Adams to an encounter with an underage intern -- an attempt that failed.
Portland is now the largest city in the United States with an openly gay mayor.
"This is a testament to how fair-minded Portlanders are that it wasn't an issue. I spend my time on the basic issues of life," Adams told the Associated Press. "A part of that includes equal rights, but that's not even close to a majority of the time. My passions for public service includes promoting social justice, equality for all, but it obviously also includes finding good jobs for people, which is also part of my family's background of not being able to always have economic security. Being gay is part of me, so is being Irish-American, so is being from a small Oregon town." (Advocate.com)
