Source: Falls Church News-Press, Washington Blade
Falls Church, Va. -- Virginia history was made in the Falls Church city election Tuesday. By being elected to the City Council, Lawrence Webb has become the first openly gay Afro-American elected official in the history of the commonwealth.

Webb, 33, an assistant dean of admissions at Mary Washington University, ran on a slate endorsed by what the Falls Church News-Press calls "the City’s venerable civic organization", the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) along with Incumbent Mayor Robin Gardner, Incumbent Vice Mayor Lindy Hockenberry and three School Board candidates.

Webb won the council seat with 1,217 votes in a race where three seats were open and voters could opt for up to three candidates. Webb came in third , beating out the next candidate by 39 votes.

Webb said he was "grateful that the citizens of Falls Church" decided to entrust him with helping to guide the direction of the city.

"I also hope my election opens the door for others to get involved in public service," he said. "It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or black or both. What matters is your dedication to building a better community and your willingness to work hard at it."

Webb is an active member of the Falls Church City Democratic Committee, the city of Falls Church Parks and Recreation Commission and Equality Fairfax. Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) appointed him to the board of the Department of Correctional Education.

Webb told the News-Press that he informed the CBC leadership that he is gay prior to the group's convention and that they were supportive. But he chose not to make an issue about it as a member of the six-candidate CBC slate until just two weeks before the election.

On April 23, Webb notified the Falls Church News-Press that he'd sought and received the financial backing and support of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund in Washington, D.C., an advocacy group that works for the election of openly-gay candidates at all levels of government.

Webb later told the local paper that he'd also approached the Virginia Partisans Gay and Lesbian Club, based in Arlington. Monday, the board of directors of the Partisans formally endorsed Webb, and a widely-disseminated e-mail was sent out to Partisan supporters and friends in Falls Church and elsewhere reporting the news.

Chuck Wolfe, president of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, told the Washington Blade that his organization launched an intense get-out-the-vote initiative on Webb’s behalf. Supporters "made calls until their cell phones went dead and, in the end, their work contributed directly to Lawrence’s close win," Wolfe said.

On Election Day, the Victory Fund delivered with five young adult volunteers who arrived in Falls Church from Washington, D.C., before the polls opened at 6 a.m. to work for Webb at the five voting precincts in the City, the News-Press reports.

Led by the Fund’s political manager, Shawn Werner, and Adam Martin, they stayed until the polls closed, and then joined Webb and the other CBC-backed candidates and their supporters at a victory party in the social hall at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment.

Wednesday, the Victory Fund reported, "Lawrence ran a fantastic campaign, our donors stepped up, and the Victory Fund staff was on the ground before the sun rose Tuesday morning to help turn out our voters."

Full article: Webb wins historic election in Falls Church | Washington Blade
F.C. Makes Virginia History by Electing Gay Afro-American | Falls Church News-Press