Gay activists
call for resignation of Fort Lauderdale mayor

Fort Lauderdale, Fla., mayor Jim Naugle will not leave office until his term expires in March 2009 despite calls for his resignation by LGBT rights advocates. However, local activists have already begun searching for a suitable candidate to replace the popular but controversial mayor, reports The Miami Herald.

Naugle, who has feuded with Fort Lauderdale's expanding LGBT community for much of his 22 years in office, has recently been criticized for stating that the city's proposal to buy a $250,000 self-cleaning toilet for the beach would reduce "homosexual activity" in public restrooms. Additionally, Naugle has also been quoted as saying that the Stonewall Library, a collection of gay materials moving to a city-owned building, contains "hard-core pornography." As reported by the Herald, key gay activists in Fort Lauderdale agree they made a strategic error by not fielding a candidate to run against Naugle in the 2006 election. "We didn't really concentrate on this race, and shame on us," said Michael Albetta, president of the Florida GLBT Democratic caucus. "Next time we will be more aware of putting in a gay-friendly person or a person who is openly gay." While gay activists have called for Naugle's immediate resignation, the mayor has said he is not going anywhere anytime soon. ''If I ever felt the majority of the residents didn't want me, I would resign, but that's not the case,'' he said. (The Advocate)