Jack Seiler
defeated a three other candidates, including two gay
hopefuls, to take over as mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a
city that has been rocked by its outgoing mayor's
numerous tirades against gay residents.
Seiler was
elected to the position Tuesday after raising $255,705 in
campaign contributions as of February 5, more than all of
his opponents combined, according to the South
Florida Sun Sentinel. His decisive win,
with 57.3% of the vote, was enough to avoid
a runoff in March. Gay candidates Dean Trantalis and Earl
Rynerson garnered 22.6% and 15.3% respectively. Steve Rossi
placed fourth with 4.8% of the vote.
Trantalis told
the South Florida Blade Tuesday that Seiler was
able to entice business insiders and developers to
support his candidacy, but the fact that he was running
against two gay opponents also probably helped him
win.
"I think
there's still an element of homophobia in Fort
Lauderdale," Trantalis said. "And I think to that extent
many people were afraid of having the image of a city
with a gay mayor, and I think that brought out votes
to vote against me."
Seiler, 45, will
be sworn in March 17. An attorney, he served eight
years in the Florida house of representatives and was mayor
of Wilton Manors, a Fort Lauderdale suburb with a
large gay population.
"We've got to
focus not on divisive issues but moving the city
forward," Seiler said Tuesday night, according to The Miami Herald. "Now the work begins. The city
has got great potential."
Seiler was
endorsed by Mayor Jim Naugle, who held the seat for 18 years
and is leaving due to term limits. In July 2007, Naugle
proposed spending $230,000 on "robo toilets" to cut
down on public sex in restrooms among gay men.
Naugle
subsequently disclosed that he used the term
"homosexual" instead of "gay" because, he said, gays
are "unhappy." By the end of the month, Naugle also
expressed his opposition to the LGBT archive proposed
for the city's public library, which ended up being
approved anyway. Activists across the city and
state called for his resignation, but he remained in office.
In 2008, Naugle
campaigned as a leading Democratic supporter of the
state's Amendment 2, which changed its constitution to ban
any arrangement that even resembles marriage for
same-sex couples. (Michelle Garcia, Advocate.com)
