HRC Friend and Marriage Equality Advocate Elected Mayor of Port Jefferson, NY
June 18, 2009
On Tuesday, June 16th the voters of Port Jefferson, NY elected Margot Garant (pictured with Karl Bach and myself) as their next mayor. Karl and I had the opportunity to speak with Mayor-elect Garant on a couple of occasions and she was extremely gracious and very supportive of the work we were doing in her hometown. She even took the time to hand write a letter to the local state Senator in support of the marriage equality bill. Karl and I spent a good bit of time in Port Jefferson working to engage local supporters of marriage equality. It’s a great town and if you’re ever in the area I certainly recommend stopping by. In the photo, Karl and I had just bumped into the future Mayor as she was entering a debate with her opponent. The event was held in a beautiful public building right on the water. As we collected signatures from debate attendees we were interrupted every so often by the horns of the ferries coming in from Bridgeport, Connecticut and screeches from the flocks of sea gulls circling overhead. The town is nestled right off of Port Jefferson Harbor and Long Island Sound. Walking around downtown we found lots of really cool independent shops and restaurants. Most of the independent business owners we spoke to were supportive of the bill and also took the time to compose a hand-written letter. I have fond memories of working in Port Jeff (as the locals call it) and look forward to visiting again one day – hopefully when the marriage equality bill has passed! We wish Mayor-elect Garant all the best in her new career!
