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)
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