Oct 07, 2005   | COMMENTS     

to gay events in the coming months.

Johns, a former executive with Verizon, the city’s main telephone service provider, is new to electoral politics and has little name recognition among voters, including gay voters.

She said she is committed to aggressively enforcing the city’s human rights law, which includes protection for gays, and has been an advocate for Verizon’s longstanding internal policy of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation. Johns said she also has been supportive of a gay employees group at Verizon.

Among her supporters, she said, are veteran D.C. gay attorney Riley Temple and gay activist and businessman Everett Hamilton, a former board member of the D.C. Coalition of Black Gays.

Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans and Ward 3 Councilmember Kathy Patterson have said they plan to enter the race for the Council chair seat. In addition to Graham, Ward 7 Councilmember Vince Gray also has expressed interest in running for the chair seat.

With the city’s voter registration rolls showing that Democrats have a 9 to 1 edge over Republicans among registered voters, Democratic primaries — which are held in September during even years — have served as the deciding contest in the District for nearly all mayoral and Council elections.

Robert Kabel, the gay chair of the D.C. Republican Committee, said the committee is actively recruiting Republicans to run for mayor and all Council seats. Republican at-large Councilmember Carol Schwartz, who is a supporter of gay rights, has run unsuccessfully for mayor three times. Schwartz has said she is not planning to run for mayor in 2006.