Jason West
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| Jason West | |
 Jason West at a gay rally
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| Born | Jason West 1977 Latham, New York |
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| Residence | New Paltz, New York |
| Occupation | Former Mayor of the Village of New Paltz |
| Title | Mayor |
| Salary | $25,000 |
| Term | June 1, 2003 - June 1, 2007 |
| Predecessor | Thomas Nyquist |
| Successor | Terry Dungan |
| Political party | Green |
| Website Official website |
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Jason West is a former mayor of the village of New Paltz, New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz[1] with a background in house painting and puppetry,[2], West made headlines by unlawfully[3] solemnizing same-sex marriages in New York.[4] After an unsuccessful run for the United States House of Representatives in 2002 on the Green Party ticket, West was elected mayor of New Paltz in 2003. He lost his re-election bid on May 1, 2007, to Village Trustee Terry Dungan,[5] and his term expired on May 31, 2007.
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[edit] Mayoral history
[edit] Summary
Elected Mayor of New Paltz in the spring of 2003, Jason West gained international attention, initially as part of the first Green Party majority elected in New York State and later for risking criminal prosecution to marry twenty-five same-sex couples. Mayor West is one of only a handful of public officials to attempt same-sex marriages (see Same-sex Civil Weddings).
Mayor West was named the Best New Mayor of 2003 by Hudson Valley Magazine. He was honored by such organizations as the New York State Senate Democratic Conference, the California State Legislature and community organizations from around the country. He has been profiled in such magazines as the New York Times Magazine, Plenty, Out, The Advocate and Jane.
Many of West's campaign tactics were a little unusual. He mobilized the student body of the State University of New York at New Paltz to win the office. One of his campaign supporters dressed in a chicken suit to solicit voter registrations and on Election Day, to encourage students to vote. West also coordinated a van shuttle to get students from campus to the polls, which are located in the village proper.
[edit] Same-sex civil weddings
On February 26, 2004, he drew national attention to New Paltz when he announced that he would be performing same-sex civil weddings. Within the first day, he had performed 25 such ceremonies. On March 2, he was charged with 19 misdemeanor counts of "solemnizing marriages without a license" by Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams. According to Williams, West was not charged for all 25 ceremonies because police only witnessed 19 of them.
West originally announced that he intended to continue performing same-sex ceremonies; however, on March 5, New York state judge Vincent Bradley issued a temporary restraining order barring West from performing any such ceremonies for a month. West indicated that he would abide by the judicial order while evaluating his legal options. On June 6, Ulster County Supreme Court Judge Michael Kavanagh made the injunction permanent.
On June 10, New Paltz Town Court Justice Jonathan Katz dismissed the charges against Mayor West, ruling that the district attorney had failed to show that the state had a legitimate interest in preventing the marriages, or that the law under which West was charged was constitutional. The district attorney said that he would appeal the ruling, and also indicated that he intended to continue forward with charges against two Unitarian Universalist ministers who had conducted ceremonies in the mayor's stead. A different New Paltz Town Court Justice dismissed those charges on July 13.
[edit] Involvement in UNUEA
As Mayor, Jason West took part in the creation of the United Nations Urban Environmental Accords in San Francisco in the Spring of 2005. He is one of sixty mayors from across the world who signed the original Accords.[1]
A signatory to the United States Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement and the member of the international network Mayors for Peace, Jason West is also a founding member and serves on the steering committee of the Young Elected Officials Network; a nationwide organization of progressive politicians under 35.
[edit] Criticisms
West was more involved in national political and foreign policy debates than his predecessors. Opposition against West was centered around whether these involvements were appropriate for a local politician[2]. For example, Mayor West officiated almost two dozen same-sex marriages.
West was also ultimately hurt by two proposals during his term to increase the Mayor's salary[3]. The first increase occurred in 2004, raising the Mayor's part-time salary from $8,000 to $25,000. A second request to increase it to $40,000 was ultimately not successful[4][5][6].
[edit] Electoral defeat in 2007
Incumbent Village Mayor Jason West was defeated on May 1, 2007, in his bid for a second four-year term by fellow trustee Terry Dungan.[6] The unofficial tally gave Dungan, a 60-year-old retired art education teacher, 514 votes to West’s 379. It was a defeat for a man who had gained national publicity for performing nearly two dozen same-sex marriages, a rising star of the Green Party who was endorsed a week prior to the election by Ralph Nader.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Text of the United Nations Urban Environmental Accords
- ^ Will the real Jason West please stand up?, Michael Kruse, Record Online, March 7, 2004, accessed May 24, 2007 08:16
- ^ Minutes of New Paltz Village Board of Trustees, December 17, 2003
- ^ Full time work/part time pay, Record Online, December 21, 2006, accessed May 24, 2007 08:37
- ^ Minutes of the New Paltz Village Board of Trustees, January 4, 2007
- ^ Mayor West Seeks Re-Election, Lindsay Suchow, New Paltz Oracle, February 15, 2007, accessed May 24, 2007 08:39
