Houston becomes largest city to elect openly gay mayor

HOUSTON — Houston became the largest city in the country to elect an openly gay mayor Saturday night, as voters gave a solid victory to the city controller, Annise Parker.

Cheers erupted at Parker's campaign party as her opponent, Gene Locke, a former city attorney, conceded defeat after it became clear he could not overcome her lead of 53 percent to 47 percent.

Throughout the campaign, Parker tried to avoid making an issue of her sexual orientation and emphasized her experience in overseeing the city's finances. But she began her career as an advocate for gay rights in the 1980s, and it was lost on no one in Houston, a city of 2.2 million people, that her election would mark a milestone for gay men and lesbians around the country.

Several smaller cities in other regions have chosen openly gay mayors, among them Providence, R.I., Portland, Ore., and Cambridge, Mass. But Parker's success came in a conservative state where voters have outlawed gay marriage and a city where a referendum on granting benefits to same-sex partners of city employees was soundly defeated.

Turnout was light across the city on a rainy, foggy day. Locke barnstormed around the city in a campaign bus dubbed "Locke and Roll" with several family members, stopping at senior centers and restaurants. Parker also made several last minute campaign appearances to urge voters to the polls.

Parker's sexual orientation did not become an issue in the race until after the general election produced no winner and led to a run-off between her and Locke, who is black and enjoys strong support among African-American voters.

The two candidates differed very little on the issues. Locke, who is 61, promised to crack down on crime and expand the police department. Parker, 53, said her experience as controller made her a better candidate to steer the city through the tough financial times it now faces.

The candidates also started slinging stones at one another in final weeks as it became clear neither had a huge advantage in the few polls conducted here. Locke bashed Parker as "soft on crime" and suggested she favors tax increases. She portrayed him as nothing more than a lobbyist for developers.

But the ugliest attacks came from a group of black pastors who spoke out against Parker for what they called her gay agenda and two separate anti-gay advocates who send out fliers in the mail calling attention to her support from gay groups and to her relationship with her longtime partner. (They have been together 19 years and have two adopted children.)

Locke denied having anything to do with the attacks, but two members of his finance committee gave $40,000 to help finance one of the mailings.