RI-01: Openly Gay Mayor of Providence, RI Wins Democratic Nomination

Openly gay Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island David Cicilline easily won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives seat vacated by Patrick Kennedy on Tuesday night.

Because Rhode Island is an overwhelmingly Democratic state, winning the nomination is tantamount to winning the seat. This means that Cicilline will very likely become the 4th openly LGBT member of the 112th Congress which is called to order January 4, 2011. The other members should be Tammy Baldwin (WI-02), Barney Frank (MA-04) and Jared Polis (CO-02).


There's a possibility that openly gay Mayor of Palm Springs Steve Pougnet may join them as the 5th member of the LGBT Caucus from CA-45. Won't you help him get there?

Palm Springs Responds To Out Cry Over Anti-Gay Actions

Palm Springs Police Chief David Dominguez (pictured above) has begun to respond to the growing outcry over the anti-gay actions of police officers during a "public gay sex" sting operation. He has announced that Palm Springs police will no longer use decoys to entice gay men to violate the public nudity and lewd conduct laws. These are just some of the changes the Palm Springs Police Department will engage in, which also include:

Putting more officers in marked police vehicles.

Working with business owners and hotel operators to warn visitors about the consequences of illegal public conduct.

Ensuring the Warm Sands neighborhood is well lit and possibly installing lighting triggered by motion sensors.

The Palm Springs City Council, which includes the Mayor Steve Pougnet,, who is running for the 45th District congressional seat currently held by Mary Bono Mack, issued the following new policy on police coduct:

CITY COUNCIL ENDORSES NEW POLICY ON CONDUCT

The Palm Springs City Council has unanimously endorsed the Police Department's new proactive enforcement policy to control lewd conduct.

This policy restricts the use of decoy undercover operations.

“Palm Springs has always embraced diversity and tolerance and wants the LGBT community and all visitors to continue to feel safe and welcome in our City at all times,” the council stated.

“In addition to the new enforcement policy, our police department has instituted comprehensive LGBT sensitivity training. The police department continues to meet with residents and hoteliers to receive neighborhood input and to refine the implementation of the new policy,” the council added.

These steps serve as a reminder to citizens and all visitors that Palm Springs is a safe and welcoming city and unique vacation destination for everyone.

It will be interesting to see whether these actions will be enough to satisfy the many people disgusted by the police actions in this instance. If you are interested in contacting Chief Dominguz, he can be reached at David.Dominguez@palmsprings-ca.gov

CA-45: Pougnet Shows Strength Against Incumbent Bono

Openly gay Palm Spring Mayor Steve Pougnet is the Democratic candidate in the 45th Congressional District running to dismiss U.S. Representative Mary Bono Mack. In a tough year for Democrats Pougnet is showing his strength in the race by matching the incumbent in fundraising dollar for dollar in the 2nd quarter:

Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet today announced that his campaign for Congress raised over $400,000 for the second quarter reporting period. Pougnet has raised over $1.2 million since entering the race, more than any challenger to Congresswoman Bono Mack has ever faced.

“I am incredibly humbled by the support we have received. In these very difficult times, our Congresswoman has been absent and it’s clear people are hungry for change,” Mayor Pougnet said.

“I am committed to fighting every day to create jobs here at home, fix the mess in Washington and end wasteful spending so we can balance the budget. Our region face major challenges but Congresswoman Bono Mack has failed to lead. I pledge that I will work tirelessly to address the needs of people here in the unique and special communities that make up the 45th district.”

Pougnet’s 2nd quarter fundraising puts him in the top tier of Congressional candidates across the county. His fundraising success is coupled with an aggressive grass-roots effort throughout the 45th district. Pougnet is actively engaging in grassroots campaign activity all throughout the district. The campaign has been going door to door talking to residents from Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Hemet, Blythe, Mecca, Coachella and throughout the district.

The 45th Congressional District is a bit of a purple district, but it is a good sign that Pougnet is doing so well in the money race.

RI-01: Openly Gay Providence Mayor Announces Bid For Congress

Openly gay mayor of Providence, Rhode Island David Cicciline has announced that he will run for the open seat in Rhode Island First Congressional District being vacated by Patrick Kennedy. If elected, the 48-year-old Cicilline would likely become the 4th openly gay congressperson to serve in the next Congress (and second openly gay man ever to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives). The only other openly gay person running for Congress this year (that I am aware of so far) is the current mayor of Palm Springs Steve Pougnet, who is running against U.S. Represntative Mary Bono Mack in California's 45th Congressional district.

Cicciline has been Providence's mayor since 2002 and was up for re-election this year. The former head of the Rhode Island democratic party Bill Lynch has also announced he will challenge Cicilline for the Democratic nomination, and there will probably be other contestants.

He made is announcement of his official candidacy for Congress on his Facebook page on Saturday:

Today, I am announcing my candidacy for the United States Congress in the First District of the State of Rhode Island.

I’m running for Congress because Washington has lost sight of what is really happening to the hard-working middle class in the cities and towns in America. There’s a dangerous disconnect between what Washington thinks will help the American people out of this miserable economic decline and what will really make a difference in their lives right now. I see the cost and the reality of that disconnect every single day.

Rhode Island has been hit as hard as any place in America by this recession. Unemployment here is nearly the worst in the country. And no matter what the hopeful stirrings and positive signs they’re seeing in the rest of America, the fact is that Rhode Island is still in the thick of the worst of it. Somehow Washington hasn’t figured out that our Number One priority has to be creating, retaining, and training for jobs of the future.

Rhode Islanders don’t want to hear about billions of federal dollars in bank bailouts. They don’t even want to hear about billions of dollars of stimulus funds tagged for Rhode Island if that money isn’t helping them find jobs and pay for groceries today.

I’m running for Congress to take to Washington what I know about getting hard things done. That’s what mayors do every day—solve difficult problems. We cut costs, resolve complex problems, and look an impossible challenge in the eye and just figure it out. We know how to work across party lines and build coalitions to get things done. I intend to bring these critical skills and perspectives to Washington and represent this state’s urgent need to move beyond our current stagnancy and toward the economic vitality that I am so confident is within our reach.

I am gratified by the outpouring of support from the many people who have urged me to run for Congress. I look forward to presenting my vision for the future of this great country to the citizens of Rhode Island’s First District in the coming months.

Finally, I want to thank Patrick Kennedy for his extraordinary service to our state and the nation. His passionate and courageous leadership has made a lasting difference in the lives of Rhode Islanders.

David N. Cicilline

My internet connection has been sporadic the last few days, so I have not been able to blog as regularly as I would have liked.