Citizens of the central Texas city San Angelo were shocked to hear the resignation for their mayor, J.W. Lown, yesterday- only ten days after being reelected to a fourth term.

Lown said made his decision in order to pursue a relationship with a non-citizen in Mexico, where he is currently residing. The ex-mayor will return to the United States once his partner, who has been kept anonymous, obtains a visa.

“I made the final decision when I knew it was the right decision to make for me and my partner and our future — and for the community,” Lown said.

In poll on GoSanAngelo.com, the city newspaper’s website, 69% of respondents rated his performance as “excellent.” Another 13% rated him as “good,” while only 7% said he was “poor.” In the recent election, he received 89% of the vote.

In a letter to City Manager Harold Dominguez, Lown announced his resignation:

While I know that the timing of this announcement is less than ideal, I have my own compelling reasons for making this decision. I have made thousands of decisions on behalf of our community, and I weighed this decision in the same manner that I approached other decisions.

Lown’s position paid $600 a year. He is the owner of Lown Properties, a real estate agency in San Angelo. He was the city’s youngest mayor on record when first elected six years ago at the age of 26.

Photo: Flickr

There have been quite a news stories online today about gay marriage.

In Maine, a statewide gay marriage referendum was approved as “one of the biggest grass-roots movements” in the state’s history was announced to oppose the recently enacted same-sex marriage law.

In Nevada, the Democrat-controlled legislature approved an amendment that would give same-sex couples the same rights as married individuals. However, Republican Governor Jim Gibbons has announced his plans to veto it. I would imagine a state with such a huge tourist attraction as Las Vegas would see a huge economic benefit from the bill.

Finally, a survey released today regarding Protestant perceptions of gays and lesbians yielded some interesting information:

• 70% of mainstream laity support some from of gay union. This compares to 57% for the general population.
• 65% of clergy held the same view.
• 31% said homosexuality was a choice.
• 55% of clergy said they did not want their denomination to grant same-sex marriages.

Photo: Flickr

Carrie Prejean, the Miss California beauty queen who placed second at this year’s Miss USA, created a storm of controversy with her anti-gay marriage remarks at the April pageant.

According to Star magazine, her mother, Francine Coppola, was involved in a gay affair with Valerie Vetrano, an openly lesbian sales rep.

Vetrano claims that the two broke up after the pageant because Francine wanted to keep the relationship secret, saying “…she was a Christian and that her loved ones would never accept her if she were gay.” She added, “Valerie feels that if Francine had just been open about her sexuality with her family, Carrie would have a better understanding of what gay people have to go through. They just want equal rights”

During a 1996 divorce, Carrie’s father made accusations that Coppola was lesbian. She in turn accused him of being gay.

Star was founded in 1974 as a competitor to the National Enquirer. Given the magazine’s tabloid status, I’m going to conclude that the story is false unless the information is confirmed by a more reliable news source.