Gay Fox 5 reporter joins S.F. mayoral campaign

Former Fox 5 TV reporter Roby Chavez (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

D.C.’s Fox 5 TV news reporter Roby Chavez, who was the subject of a Blade feature story last August about his wedding to partner Chris Roe, started a new job in May as communications director for a gay mayoral candidate in San Francisco.

Chavez is working for Bevan Dufty, a former San Francisco supervisor who is seeking to become that city’s first out gay mayor. Dufty is considered among the top four candidates in a race that has attracted more than 30 candidates.

“I think it’s an incredible opportunity to do something that’s going to have a long-lasting impact on the gay community,” Chavez said. “And I think it’s my responsibility as a gay man to go ahead and try to elect a gay mayor.”

He said he left his job as a reporter for Channel 5/WTTG TV News in Washington and a career in broadcast journalism of more than 25 years to move to San Francisco with Roe, who took a job there as CEO of a large non-profit education organization.

Chavez said he expected to take a short break in his career to play the role of house husband before returning to work as a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area. But that plan changed quickly, he said, when Dufty — who has known Roe for many years — offered him a job he couldn’t refuse.

“Basically, I’m coordinating all the media and social media and the website for Bevan and also operating as his press secretary,” he said.

Chavez points to Dufty’s experience in coordinating city services for former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown before serving for eight years as a city supervisor in the famous Castro district that the late Harvey Milk once represented.

“And you know, he’s not just an out mayoral candidate,” Chavez said of Dufty. “He’s an outstanding man and an outstanding candidate.” The election takes place Nov. 8.