Texas city elects openly gay mayor

Nine News ^ | December 14, 2009

[myknowledge]

The southern city of Houston has become the largest US metropolis to elect an openly gay mayor when Annise Parker, an open lesbian, claimed a solid victory over her rival.

"I know what this win means to many of us who thought we could never achieve high office," she said in her victory speech, at which she introduced her partner Kathy and their three children, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"I understand, because I feel it, too. But now, from this moment, let us join as one community," said Parker, 53.

According to local election data, Democrat Parker won about 53 percent of the vote and opponent Gene Locke, also a Democrat, took 47 percent.

The population of the Texas city is about 2.2 million.

Throughout her campaign, Parker enjoyed the support of gay and lesbian political organizations nationwide, though she did not make her sexual orientation a key issue in the campaign.

Several smaller US cities already have openly gay mayors, including Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Parker has worked in the Houston city administration for the last 11 years -- first on the city council, and for the last five years as city controller.

She spent 20 years in the oil and gas industry before entering public service.

[WOSG]

Austin leans very liberal.
mayor Leffingwell is a self-described leftist.
The whole city council is either liberal or crazed moonbat leftist.
There are no conservatives in power in Austin.
Too many tarrytown liberals who run the city.
the suburbs have no voice nor influence and conservatives get shamed into silence and conformity. Sad state of PC politics today.

Once cities get too liberal, they just keel over and their politics gets crazy. Its sad to see formerly sane cities go over the tipping point.

[Def Conservative]

Also, Parker’s opponent was supported by many Republicans...at leats there was a chance he would be beholden to the big money that came from his GOP backers....Parker, on the other hand, is not.

[WOSG]

“You don’t just “come in contact” with the liberals, they tell you how to live your life and have the authority to enforce their liberal laws.”
“What laws are you speaking of?
I don’t feel any more oppressed here in Austin than I do in any other city in America I have lived in or travelled to. “

Hey Doe Eyes, aside from the smoking ban, high taxes, ban on burning our yard leaves, making us get an audit before we can sell a house as part of a crazy ‘green’ scam, and the gazillion hoops you have to go through to remodel your house, the numerous burdens on small business, the Domain subsidies scam and the games with property appraisals to rip us off, and the funding of day laborer sites and abortions with our taxes, and the Mexican Cultural center $50 million and music channel and other ‘cultural’ boondoggles, having a music bureaucrat on the payroll, putting us in debt to buy up millions of acres of Travis, all while underfunding police and using Austin Energy as a big slush fund for stupid ideas like a $2 billion ‘green energy’ wood chip burning plant and other scams to double our energy bills in the name of ‘green energy’ ... other than that, it’s just a normal over-taxed over-liberal PC city.

If it doesnt feel more oppressive than other cities, that’s only because liberals ruin most of the other ones too.

Austin is a great city, which would only be improved if the Austin city council was permanently removed and replaced by 7 lawn ornaments. Second runner-up is to have single-member districts so the rest of Austin could actually get a voice against the lunacy.

[WOSG]

Ah, ‘beholden’ as in actually not screw the business community to the wall like most cities do (to the point where business just ups and flees) ... so do avoid that, Houston went full bore for the greater of two evils. How special!

[AmericanInTokyo]

Wellllll, there goes the Sister City relationship with Kampala!

[deport]

Also, Parker’s opponent was supported by many Republicans...

---

I’ve read that the business interest supported him but it seems to me that there was very little interest across the board in Houston with only 16.5% of the voters turning out. Less than 10% of the registered voters had they been united behind a less liberal candidate would have won the election in a walk.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Nearly all, if not all, big U.S. cities are leftist, and, even when the GOP did win any political races in big U.S. cities, they were usually RINOs.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

The next election cycle for Mayor hopefully will include a conservative candidate that uses “Houston, we have a problem!” as a slogan for their campaign. I just also hope that the entertainment world doesn’t sue them because of it.

[The Comedian]

Its certainly not the place for Conservatives that desire to only come in contact with people that live and think exactly like they do.

The main problem with Austin is it has way too many people here already, so please feel free to stay out.

Wow, you totally missed the point, and then went personal on my butt.

1) Austin as currently comprised does not harmonize with the rest of conservative Texas. This has nothing to do with "desiring to come in contact" with a homogenious population. The problem is, the collectivists in Austin INFLUENCE MY LIFE. It has nothing to do with free association. They're control freaks and deviants, and I want them out of my wallet, my electorate, and my life.

2) Austin does not have "too many people". It has too many of the wrong kind of people who make terrible decisions about what to spend their stolen money on.

Clear your head, get out of the city, and try living in *real* Texas for a while.

Or stay in the collectivist hippie commune that has taken over our capitol, it's up to you.

BTW I don't *hate* Austin. I love the town. I shop there almost every weekend. It's the creepy "Texans for Obama" 60% of its population I have a beef with.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[Doe Eyes]

I want them out of my wallet, my electorate, and my life.

Unless you live in Austin, we are not in your wallet.

Austin does not have "too many people".

My opinion is primarily based on the traffic.

Clear your head, get out of the city, and try living in *real* Texas for a while.

I spent the first 25 years of my life in Odessa and Lubbock.

[Doe Eyes]

I agree with you about all of the stupid Liberal antics you pointed out. I don’t feel oppressed here. I agree with you that its a great city that can be improved.

[3722535r]

To Myknowledge

Amen to that...Homosexuality is an unclean spirit and a very strong one at that.....There is deliverance.....My brother has become so possessed through witchcraft (he hates Christians with a passion) that I had to cut off contact with him......You literally cannot have a conversation with him without him preaching about darkness (he professes to have sexual relations in the spirit with different entities, and speaks with them as you and I would converse).....I pray for him everyday.....The Word said to come out from among them, but it is particularly difficult when it happens to be family you love......I really believe as I have said before, that there has to be a divine purpose to what is happening in the world......Prophecy is being fulfilled very quickly....How could America actually elect and celebrate an openly gay politician?......

[Eagle Eye]

I live north of Houston, but only for a couple of years.

Maybe the fact that Parker was gay was well known to the long term resident but it isn’t like she wears rainbow lapel ribbons.

As far as I know she ran an honest campaign based on past performance and issues. Locke did not.

And as far as I know, Parker didn’t make homosexuality a part of her campaign.

Maybe, just maybe she can do the job as she has been as comptroller without doing it as the gay mayor, just the mayor?

[Eagle Eye]

Everyone sins. Therefore, according to your logic, Christians cannot vote for anyone because by doing so would convey some approval of the sinner’s sin.

Idiot Christians are still waiting for a sinless candidate so they don’t have to vote for an imperfect human.

[bert]

The population of Texas City is only about 45,000 souls.

[3722535r]

To Eagle Eye

I agree....We all sin.....And I don’t expect a perfect candidate, but I do need an honest sense of morality based on what the country was founded upon....Is that unreasonable?.....

[LussaO]

Idiot conservatives are waiting for a sinless candidate.

* * * ** *

A post before said there was a Hispanic conservative in the race with no money. If conservatives are sick and tired of libs winning races, want conservatives and aren’t racists, why would a Hispanic candidate have no money?

[mojitojoe]

Yes it is and 25% black, lots of illegals and around 60,000 admittedly gay citizens. But still, it is Texas. I wonder if they are Katrina rejects?

[mojitojoe]

Texas is a big state. They should exercise their sovereignty and kick their as*es out. It’s time to stop playing nice and holding signs up at tea parties. It ain’t working folks.

[Clemenza]

Houston also elected Lee “Out of Town” Brown Mayor after New Yorkers nearly burned him to the stake for his incompetence as police chief. It was also the city dumb enough to believe in suicidal “Christian charity” (which, thankfully, is in short supply around here) and took in the Katrina refs.