State’s 1st openly gay Republican elected
Brian Bates’ victory in Doraville City Council race called groundbreaking
Brian Bates is a 36-year-old business owner in charge of Doraville’s annual Police Appreciation Day.
He’s active in his neighborhood association and staunchly supports popular police Chief John King, who became a major issue in elections earlier this month.
So Bates’ victory in a race for city council didn’t come as a major surprise in this town of about 10,000 residents. But, it was, in fact, groundbreaking.
Bates is now the state’s first openly gay Republican elected to office – a development that has gained the attention of politicos and pundits across the country.
Georgia Equality, the state’s largest organization supporting gay rights, says he’s the first openly gay Republican to win a race in the Deep South.
The Doraville election was nonpartisan and Bates said he doesn’t believe his being gay was much of an issue, but political observers say his election is significant.
“When you are talking about local elections, it’s about finding the most qualified candidate,” said Kyle Bailey, political director for Georgia Equality. “This is a sign of progress of the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] community showing that we are your neighbors.
“Number one, Bates is representing the people of Doraville. But he also provides an important voice to the Republican Party and he could help the Republican Party in Georgia to move to a place where it’s welcoming to LGBT.”
Bates, who has lived in Doraville for almost seven years, credits his strong support for chief King and his high level of community involvement as the keys for his victory.
Bates lost a previous try for a city council seat but won easily this time around with 58 percent of the votes.
“I am gay and there’s no reason to hide it,” he said. “I made the conscious decision to be open and honest about my orientation. It really didn’t come up with my conversations with voters and for the most part, I don’t think they care. It was not a campaign issue. There is not a gay agenda. It wasn’t an issue.”
King, however, was an issue in the elections. After three city council members tried to fire King in a highly controversial vote last summer, Bates, along with Karen Pachuta, an attorney who lives in Doraville, launched a recall effort against two of the council members.
“Residents were waiting for someone to take a stand to protect the police chief,” Bates said about the recall effort. “And this provided residents a way to show their support and get behind us.”
Bates is currently one of nine openly gay elected officials in Georgia, according to Georgia Equality. In 1997, Cathy Woolard, who was elected to the Atlanta City Council in District 6, became Georgia’s first openly gay elected official. That was soon followed in metro Atlanta by State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) and Decatur City Commissioner Kecia Cunningham.
But Bates is unique primarily because few openly gay candidates align themselves with the Republican party.
Bates is a lifelong Republican and member of Georgia’s chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay and lesbian Republicans. He considers himself fiscally conservative and socially moderate. Bates said he disagrees with how the Republican party has handled gay issues but declined to be specific.
“I don’t think it’s responsible to attack individuals. The Republican Party has been a party of freedom and acceptance and they need to stick to the policies that work and that’s about being fiscally responsible,” he said.
State Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta), whose district includes Doraville, said she was thrilled to see Bates win. The state Republican party referred a reporter to Chambers for comment about Bates’ election victory.
Chambers said Bates has skills and experience that will serve the community well, including being highly organized, computer savvy and a community activist who will promote fiscal conservatism.
Chambers, who said she contributed $150 to Bates’ campaign, said Republicans welcomed a debate about the party’s positions on gay issues. But she said sexual orientation won’t be much of a political issue in Doraville.
“I don’t think his sexuality is going to play a role on city council,” said Chambers. “But his fiscal responsibility will be greatly appreciated on a day-to-day basis. His margin of victory shows that our community in north DeKalb cares more about the person and their performance as an elected official than someone’s sexuality.”
Bates, who was sworn in on Nov. 19, said he’s looking forward to serving on the city council. He sees it as an extension of his community involvement.
“I was elected to represent the residents of Doraville and look forward to doing it with honor. And if it provides other opportunities for other candidates or encourages other individuals to run, I certainly encourage them to do so,” he said.
Source: ajc.com