Gay Council member loses re-election bid in Falls Church

Lawrence Webb’s positions on non-LGBT related issues likely upset some constituents, which, combined with the dislike many voters showed for all incumbents, contributed to the loss. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Falls Church City Council member Lawrence Webb, who is gay, lost his bid for a second term in a nonpartisan city election on Tuesday, May 1. He finished in last place in a race in which seven candidates competed for three seats.

Webb won election to the Council seat in 2008, becoming the first openly gay African American to be elected to public office in Virginia.

Nicholas Benton, editor and owner of the Falls Church News-Press, which endorsed Webb, said Webb’s defeat most likely was unrelated to his sexual orientation. Benton, who is gay, said Webb’s positions on non-LGBT related issues upset some constituents, which, combined with the dislike many voters showed for all incumbents, contributed to the loss.