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Their mayor: LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Voters in Lexington, Kentucky's second-largest city, have elected the city's first openly gay mayor.
Businessman Jim Gray defeated incumbent Jim Newberry in Tuesday's nonpartisan election. Gray had 53 percent of the vote to Newberry's 46 percent with 79 percent of precincts reporting.
The 57-year-old Gray is an executive with his family's construction company. He has been the city's vice mayor. Gray and Newberry, a 54-year-old lawyer, both grew up in Barren County.
Gray told supporters he wanted to represent every citizen of Lexington-Fayette County, which merged governments in 1974 and is the heart of Kentucky's horse country and home to the University of Kentucky.
He says: "I am here for my mother's generation, I am here for my generation and for your generation, and we are here for the next generation."http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/02/AR2010110206493.htmlOur mayor: In 2002, Ford strenuously objected to the possibility that a homeless shelter would open in his suburban Etobicoke ward.<48><49> Later in the same year, he was quoted while berating an anti-poverty activist, "Do you have a job, sir? I'll give you a newspaper to find a job, like everyone else has to do between 9 and 5."<50> In 2005, Ford told a homeless protestor, "I'm working. Why don't you get a job?"<51>
In 2006, allegations arose of his conduct at a Toronto Maple Leafs game. Two audience members alleged Ford instigated a shouting match.<52> Security at the Air Canada Centre later ejected Ford from the venue. Initially, Ford denied involvement, claiming mistaken identity. The following day, Ford confirmed the allegations and announced his apology to the couple.<53> He cited "personal problems" as a reason for his behaviour.
Further controversy erupted in a Toronto City Council session when Ford argued against the city spending $1.5 million on AIDS prevention programs. Ford stated that "(AIDS) is very preventable," and that "if you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn't get AIDS probably, that's bottom line."<54> With respect to the increasing rates of women contracting the disease, Ford said; "How are women getting it? Maybe they are sleeping with bisexual men."<54> During a June 2005 council debate, Ford said, "I don't understand a transgender," asking "is it a guy dressed up like a girl or a girl dressed up like a guy?"<55>
Again sparking controversy during a March 2008 debate at City Hall, Ford said, "Those Oriental people work like dogs. They work their hearts out ... that's why they're successful in life. ... I'm telling you, Oriental people, they're slowly taking over, because there's no excuses for them. They're hard, hard workers." He drew criticism for those remarks from Mayor David Miller, budget chief Shelley Carroll and other councillors.<56><57>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Ford:wtf: |
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