Out with the town fathers
NYT Magazine profiles Jason West, the New Paltz mayor who jumped to national prominence when he solemnized 25 gay marriages.
The article is kind of a “what if the kids were in charge” story. West, 27, is one of three Green Party members on the town board; one of the others is a student at SUNY. He was elected only because the two establishment candidates (the former Mayor and Deputy Mayor) split the majority vote between them. He works as a house-painter, and when he decided to perform the gay marriages, his attorneys had to lend him dress shoes and a tie.
West was an artist in high school, and is currently a member of a puppetry troupe. At his inaugaration,
West is no naif, however, and from the article it appears that he has strong political skills. Especially now that he has been catapulted to national prominence by the gay marriage issue, he probably has a fruitful career as an activist ahead of him.
It seems that sometimes, putting the kids in charge can be a good thing. 