Two Openly Gay Elected Officials in WNY Win Leadership Positions

This month two openly gay legislators were chosen by their peers for leadership positions in their local legislatures. Council Member-at-Large Bill Pritchard was named Vice President of the City Council in Rochester and Council Member-at-Large Greg Rabb was chosen to be Council President in Jamestown.

Pritchard, a Democrat, has served on the Rochester City Council since 2003. Rabb was elected to the Jamestown City Council for the first time in November after running several times for the seat and has told us that he was named Council President just a few weeks later by the Democratic Majority. The Pride Agenda has endorsed both in past races they’ve run.

Pritchard and Rabb join other openly LGBT elected officials in New York, such as Christine Quinn, the Speaker of the New York City Council, and Jon Copper, the Majority Leader of the Suffolk County Legislature, who have been named by their colleagues to leadership positions.

We think it says something good about our state when openly LGBT lawmakers from the western border to the eastern most tip of New York can rise to positions of leadership.

Our congratulations go out to both Bill Pritchard and Greg Rabb for their achievements.