Gay Man Elected Mayor In Matthew Shepard's Home Town

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Gay Man Elected Mayor In Matthew Shepard's Home Town

by The Associated Press

Posted: November 24 2004 8:01 pm ET

 

Casper, Wyoming) City councilman Guy Padgett will become Casper's first openly gay mayor and its first mayor under 30 years old.

 

Padgett, 27, was informally voted in as mayor for next year by the city council Tuesday.

 

''I look forward to representing my community and city council in the year to come,'' Padgett said after his fellow city council members unanimously chose him.

 

No other council member expressed a desire to be the city's next mayor before the informal vote was held.

 

Casper's mayor is largely a ceremonial position. The mayor is the spokesman for the council, runs council meetings and, along with the vice mayor, sets the agenda for the meetings.

 

Padgett will formally take up his new leadership position at the first council meeting of 2005, which is scheduled for Jan. 4.

 

Padget said he was deeply affected by the murder of Shepard (pictured). Two had gone to high school together.  When Padgett moved back to Casper from Yale University, Shepard was part of his circle. "We weren't that close," said Padgett. "But it felt very personal when he died. It hit me very hard."

 

Shepard was beaten and tied to a fence on a country road near Laramie, Wyoming where he attended University.  He died several days later in hospital.  Two men are in prison for the killing.  Despite telling police they chose Shepard because they hated gays, ABC news on Friday will air a 20/20 report in which the men say it was not a hate crime. (story)    

 

Padgett said he was relieved to get the whole mayoral election over with, even though he did not receive any negative feedback from the community due to his sexuality or his age in the past few weeks.

 

''I think people have been very kind and very supportive and I appreciate that,'' he said.

 

Padgett added that he has not been approached by any gay groups to be some kind of a spokesman for them, nor has he been contacted by any special interest media about becoming Casper's mayor.

 

Despite being a man who will set two big mayoral firsts in Casper, Padgett said he does not see himself as a trailblazer.

 

''I think I am just trying to serve my community in the best way I know how,'' he said.

 

©Associated Press 2004

 

 

[A Hermaphrodite]

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