Iconic Gay Novelist, Activist Patricia Nell Warren Running for West Hollywood City Council
Given the stereotypes about gay people, you might think the gay-dominated politics in the city of West Hollywood would be colorful and. well, interesting. You would be wrong. It turns out that keeping a liberal utopia clean, productive and affordable is rather mundane work. Wehoians tend to elect officials who get the job done and (usually) keep the drama offstage.
So it’s a bit surprising that internationally known author and activist Patricia Nell Warren has announced that she is running for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council. Warren is best known as the author of “The Frontrunner,” a groundbreaking novel published in 1974 about a college track coach, a conservative ex-Marine, who finds himself falling in love with a long-distance runner on his team. She also has published six other novels, including “Harlan’s Race,” a 1994 sequel to “The Frontrunner” — and is an activist and speaker on gay sports issues and a regular contributor to Outsports.com.
So why is an iconic author running for city council in one of California’s smallest cities? Here is what she told Outsports:
WeHo’s 25th anniversary is ahead in 2009, and the city faces some big decisions. It calls itself an “urban village,” yet it’s now the sixth most densely populated city in the U.S. Meaning 37,000 residents crammed into 1.9 square miles. And the population spikes to maybe 80,000 on weekends. Growing density has caused growing pains — scarcity of parking, traffic snarls, and need for affordable housing, especially for seniors and young workforce people. There are challenges around development and culture. So the people of West Hollywood, and its government, will be deciding how “urban” we want our city to be.
Nine other candidates are running with Warren for three seats on the council.Candidates include three incumbents, John Heilman, who currently serves as mayor, and who has served on the council since West Hollywood’s incorporation in 1984; Sal Gaurriello, who has served on the council for 16 years; and Abbe Land, who has served 15 years non-consecutively.
Other candidates include:
Former City Council member Steve Martin (eight years service), attorney heads a West Hollywood Neighborhood Alliance (WEHONA) slate including artist/historic preservationist Heavenly Wilson and community ethics activist and retired businessman Ed Buck…
Contractor Jim Sorkin, a 13-year resident, actor Steve Koller (18 months) and Medical Administrator Shawn Hoffman (one year) all fulfilled the requirements necessary to gain a spot on the ballot.
West Hollywood municipal elections will be held on March 6, 2007.