Santa Fe elects first openly gay mayor

Santa Fe mayor-elect Javier Gonzales

Santa Fe has elected it's first gay mayor - from a field that included a second openly gay candidate.

With his two young daughters and other family members by his side, Gonzales, 47, was greeted by a mob of cheering supporters when he walked into a packed ballroom at the Hotel Santa Fe, many of whom he hugged and kissed as he made his way to the stage.

“This campaign was never about me. It was about us,” he told a jubilant crowd.

Gonzales made history as the city’s first openly gay mayor and will preside over a City Council on which two of the eight members are openly gay women — mayoral opponent Patti Bushee and newly elected Signe Lindell.

He said the race was won by a grass-roots campaign that brought together a cross section of Santa Fe.

“I stand before you humbled. I stand you before standing on the shoulders of people like Mayor Coss and my father and so many who have been before in this position to say that I am ready to accept the responsibility and the honor of being your mayor,” he said, referring to outgoing Mayor David Coss and his father, former Mayor George Gonzales.

Santa Fe is one of my favorite cities in the world. It doesn't surprise me that a place so welcoming to everyone would so easily elect an openly gay family man.

Next time you consider a vacation spot, treat yourself to Santa Fe. The landscape, the art, the food, the people all make the trip worthwhile.