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Friday, August 22, 2008
Despite
shortcomings
in
raising
money,
gay
Democratic
activist
Phil
Pannell
says
he’s
confident
he
can
remain
competitive
in
his
campaign
to
unseat
incumbent
U.S.
shadow
Senator
Paul
Strauss.
Campaign
finance
documents
show
Pannell
has
raised
$1,700,
whereas
Strauss
has
raised
$30,610
in
contributions.
According
to
filing
reports
released
Aug.
11
by
the
D.C.
Office
of
Campaign
Finance,
Strauss’s
campaign
had
spent
$9,546
as
of
Aug.
10
and
had
$21,063
in
cash
on
hand.
The
campaign
finance
documents
show
that
Pannell’s
campaign
had
spent
$70
as
of
Aug.
10
and
had
$1,629
in
cash
on
hand.
Pannell
told
the
Blade
he
has
since
raised
an
additional
$1,300
and
has
spent
a
larger
amount
for
campaign
activities,
all
of
which
would
be
reflected
on
an
amended
reporting
document.
But
he
said
he
doubts
his
“grass
roots,
community
campaign”
will
be
able
to
match
the
amount
raised
by
Strauss.
“I
guess
he’s
running
scared
if
he
feels
the
need
to
raise
that
kind
of
money
for
this
race,”
Pannell
said.
Strauss
said
the
contributions
he’s
received
show
that
he
enjoys
strong
support
throughout
the
city.
Pannell
won
the
endorsement
of
the
Democratic
Committee
of
Ward
8,
where
he
lives,
but
the
ward’s
Council
member
and
former
D.C.
mayor,
Marion
Barry,
endorsed
Strauss.
Strauss
also
received
the
endorsement
of
the
Metropolitan
Washington
branch
of
the
AFL-CIO.
Pannell
beat
Strauss
in
an
endorsement
vote
by
the
Gertrude
Stein
Democratic
Club,
the
city’s
largest
gay
political
group,
but
did
not
receive
the
club’s
endorsement
because
he
fell
short
of
the
60
percent
majority
vote
needed
for
the
club’s
backing.
D.C.
maintains
two
shadow
Senate
seats
and
one
shadow
House
seat
to
serve
as
lobbying
and
advocacy
positions
for
D.C.
voting
representation
in
Congress.
The
shadow
seats
are
unpaid
and
have
no
congressional
powers
or
duties.
Pannell
said
he
decided
to
run
for
the
position
because
he
feels
Strauss,
an
attorney
in
private
practice,
has
not
been
visible
or
vocal
enough
in
efforts
to
end
the
city’s
status
as
the
only
capital
of
a
major
democracy
whose
residents
don’t
have
a
voting
representative
in
its
national
legislative
body.
Del.
Eleanor
Homes
Norton
(D-D.C.)
is
allowed
to
speak
on
the
floor
of
the
U.S.
House
but
cannot
vote
on
legislation.
Strauss
said
he
has
worked
hard
for
the
cause
of
D.C.
voting
representation,
saying
he
regularly
lobbies
members
of
Congress
on
the
city’s
behalf.
The
city’s
Democratic
primary
is
Sept.
9.
LOU
CHIBBARO
JR.
Fenty’s
latest
gay
appointees
settle
into
new
positions
Three
people
recently
appointed
to
D.C.
Mayor
Adrian
Fenty’s
gay
advisory
committee
are
settling
into
their
new
roles.
Jerry
Clark,
Aubrey
Dubra
and
Suzanne
Goldstein
were
sworn
in
for
their
committee
roles
during
a
public
ceremony
last
month
and
are
now
choosing
their
area
of
focus.
Clark
told
the
Blade
this
week
that
committee
members
can
choose
from
a
variety
of
focus
areas,
such
as
economic
development.
“Those
of
us
who
have
newly
joined
the
committee
have
been
asked
to
review
those
choices
and
determine
where
we
would
like
to
be
placed,”
he
said.
“So
right
now,
I’m
just
an
all-purpose,
new
member
of
the
advisory
commission.”
Clark
and
Goldstein,
who
also
serve
on
the
National
Gay
&
Lesbian
Task
Force
board
of
directors,
said
the
new
members
likely
would
reveal
their
areas
of
focus
and
start
their
work
in
earnest
during
the
committee’s
next
meeting
in
September.
“Initially,
my
thing
is
just
learning
what
the
advisory
board
is
involved
in,”
Goldstein
said.
Dubra,
a
Nordstrom
communications
director
and
the
committee’s
interim
chair,
did
not
respond
to
Blade
inquires
by
deadline.
JOSHUA
LYNSEN
Louganis
to
lead
AIDS
Walk
that
benefits
Whitman-Walker
Four-time
Olympic
gold
medalist
Greg
Louganis
has
been
announced
as
the
grand
marshal
for
Washington’s
22nd
annual
AIDS
Walk
in
October.
The
walk,
which
benefits
the
Whitman-Walker
Clinic,
takes
place
Oct.
4
at
Freedom
Plaza
in
downtown
Washington,
D.C.
“It’s
an
honor
to
help
support
an
organization
like
Whitman-Walker
Clinic
that
does
such
tremendous
work
for
people
living
with
HIV/AIDS
in
the
nation’s
capital,”
Louganis
said
in
a
statement.
“The
AIDS
Walk
will
not
only
help
raise
needed
funds
for
the
Clinic’s
HIV/AIDS
services
but
also
helps
raise
awareness
of
the
alarming
state
of
the
epidemic
in
Washington,
D.C.”
Donald
Blanchon,
the
Clinic’s
chief
executive
officer,
said
he
was
“deeply
honored”
to
have
Louganis
participate
in
the
walk.
“Greg
Lougainis
is
a
true
American
hero,”
he
said
in
a
statement.
“He
is
a
hero
not
just
for
his
accomplishments
in
the
sport
of
diving
but
for
his
courage
in
disclosing
that
he
is
HIV-positive
and
his
work
on
behalf
of
those
living
with
HIV.”
This
year’s
walk
also
will
include
a
timed
run.
For
more
information
about
the
walk,
call
202-332-9255
or
visit
aidswalkwashington.org.
JOSHUA
LYNSEN
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