CANDIDATE PROFILES *************************************************************************** Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20005 email: victoryf@aol.com 202/842-8679 (voice) 202/289-3863 (fax) Looking for more information? questions? email victoryf@aol.com *************************************************************************** Brief Profiles of Victory Fund Candidates **Karen Gotzler for Milwaukee Common Council** Economic development specialist/activist Karen Gotzler is the founder and past-chair of the Lesbian Alliance of Metro Milwaukee (LAMM), the largest gay or lesbian membership organization in Wisconsin. Well-known in the community, Karen co-founded Midwest Music, Inc, a highly successful distributor of women's music. After running Midwest for 12 years, Karen accepted a position with the Wisconsin State Department of Development. In 1991 she became the Department's financial consultant and, in this capacity, has worked closely with city officials on economic development, public policy, and business financing issues. Karen is endorsed by the retiring incumbent, and she has the support of major leaders in the lesbian and gay, feminist, civil rights, and economic development communities. Nonpartisan Primary: February 6, 1996. **Larry McKeon [D] for Illinois House of Representatives** In January 1992, Larry McKeon was appointed by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley as liaison to the gay and lesbian community and as Director of the Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council on Gay and Lesbian Affairs. In this capacity, he advises the Mayor, City Council and City Department heads regarding matters impacting the gay and lesbian community, advocates for gay and lesbian rights, and oversees the implementation of the city's human rights laws. Larry has a Master's degree in Public Administration and more than 25 years in the public and not-for-profit sectors as a career law enforcement officer, educator and social services manager. Before his appointment he was the Director of Information Systems at the United Charities of Chicago, and a faculty member at Chicago's Roosevelt University. Primary: March 19, 1996. **Sebastian Patti [D] for Cook County (IL) Circuit Court** Sebastian Patti made history this year when he became Illinois' first openly gay appointed judge; he is now running in a county-wide election to retain his seat on the bench. After graduating cum laude from Duke University, Sebastian earned his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. His extensive law career includes service as Associate Regional Counsel of the United States Environmental Protection Agency from 1979 through 1995. Sebastian serves on the Illinois Bar and is admitted to the Supreme Courts of Illinois and Kansas, the U.S. Court of Appeals and two U.S. District Courts. Before his appointment, he volunteered with the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago and the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic. Sebastian is endorsed by the Democratic party and has received the Chicago Bar Association's highest rating. Primary: March 19, 1996. **Rick Zbur [D] for U.S. House of Representatives [CA-38]** Environmental attorney Rick Zbur is running for the Long Beach-based Congressional seat held by two-term Republican Stephen Horn one of the three California seats the Democrats have targeted as winnable. A summa cum laude graduate of Yale University, Rick received his J.D. from the Harvard University School of Law in 1983. As the first openly gay partner in the Los Angeles law firm Latham & Watkins, Rick represents many of Southern California's largest employers. He has strong ties to the labor, legal, and business communities, and has been appointed to numerous advisory commissions on land-use, transportation, and environmental concerns. Among his community activities, he is one of the founders and serves on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Compliance Support Association of California. Primary: March 26, 1996. **Carole Migden [D] for California State Assembly** San Francisco Supervisor Carole Migden is one of the nation's most recognized leaders in the lesbian and gay community. She has forged a reputation as a budget whiz and leading voice on healthcare issues, strengthening San Francisco's AIDS service delivery system, creating new models for AIDS prevention, promoting breast cancer awareness, and discovering innovative means of generating revenue, including the development of a city credit card. Carole is a leader on environmental issues, passing legislation to conserve and reuse water, and putting forth guidelines to prevent Cryptosporidium, a deadly parasite to people with AIDS. She has also initiated efforts to strengthen domestic partnership laws, ensure that perpetrators of anti-gay violence are brought to justice, and to protect a woman's right to choose. In 1994, her colleagues voted her the smartest and most effective member of the Board of Supervisors. Primary: March 26, 1996. **Gerrie Schipske [D] for California State Assembly** In 1992, Gerrie Schipske was elected to a 4-year term on the Long Beach Community College Board; a year later, she was elected President of the Board. Gerrie is now competing for an open seat in what is expected to be one of California's premier state legislative races. A registered nurse and healthcare attorney, Gerrie is nationally known for her outstanding work on maternal/infant care, bioethics, community-based senior care, and home health care. She has worked on California campaigns since 1972, including those of Senator Barbara Boxer and State Superintendent of Schools Delaine Easton. She serves on the Board of Long Beach Area Citizens Involved, and is a member of the Long Beach Fifth Council Advisory Committee and the Police Department's Women's Advisory Committee. Primary: March 26, 1996. **Ken Yeager [D] for California State Assembly** Dr. Ken Yeager is a political science lecturer at San Jose State University and President of the San Jose/Evergreen Community College Board. In 1984, he co-founded the pioneering gay rights organization BAYMEC, the Bay Area Municipal Election Committee. Ken's community service resume is a mile long, and has earned him numerous honors, including commendations from the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission and the United States House of Representatives. He is president of a local library board, a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum, and Faculty Advisor to the University Campus Democrats. He has also served as a member of the Santa Clara General Planning Committee, the County Strategic Vision Steering Committee, and the Board of Supervisors' Task Force on AIDS. Primary: March 26, 1996. **Maddy Hirshfield for Sonoma County (CA) Board of Supervisors** Occupational therapist Maddy Hirshfield is running for an open seat on the five-member Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. A member of the Sonoma County Democratic Central Committee, where she serves on the Issues and Legislation Committee, Maddy was elected First Vice-Chair of the 6th Assembly District Democratic Committee and Delegate to the California State Democratic Central Committee. In 1995, she was appointed to the county's Commission on Human Rights, and chairs its Issues Review Committee. Maddy founded Sonoma County Gay/Lesbian United Voters, serves on the county's Domestic Partnership Committee, and is the political liaison, media representative, and fundraising chair of Project 10, an organization concerned with the welfare of sexual minority students. Nonpartisan Primary: March 26, 1996. **Kevin McCarthy for San Francisco Superior Court** An attorney in the Alameda County Public Defender's Office, Kevin McCarthy has ten year's experience as a trial attorney and has personally tried more than 70 jury trials. He is also Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of California's Hastings Law School, and is serving his second term on the Board of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom the region's Lesbian and Gay Bar Association. Kevin has been active in San Francisco politics for more than a decade, and has a long history of community activism. He's served as a Boardmember of the Northern California Gay Rights Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, as a member of the San Francisco Citizen's Advisory Committee on Transportation, and as a Boardmember of the Lobby for Individual Freedom and Equality. Nonpartisan Election: March 26, 1996. **Gail Shibley for Portland City Council** One of the Victory Fund's earliest recommended candidates, Gail Shibley made history as Oregon's first openly gay/lesbian legislator. Running city- wide for an open, nonpartisan Council seat, Gail now faces the daunting challenge of winning the largest campaign electorally equivalent to a congressional district ever run by a gay or lesbian candidate in Oregon. Gail is widely respected for her effectiveness and integrity, and has built lasting coalitions with environmental, business, labor, senior citizen, feminist, and other human rights communities. Her election as Oregon's first gay/lesbian city councilor would herald significant progress for gay men and lesbians around the country, and would send a strong message to Radical Right groups that voters are fed up with their hateful and divisive agenda. Nonpartisan Election: May 21, 1996. **Frank Dixon [D] for Oregon State Senate** A retired Major in the U.S. Army Reserves, consumer attorney Frank Dixon is seeking an open seat in the Oregon State Senate. After graduating from Northwestern's Lewis and Clark Law School (Portland) in 1979, Frank was admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court. He has been lead counsel on cases before the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A member of the Multnomah County Public Safety Committee and the Portland Police Department's Internal Investigation Citizens Advisory Board, Frank has been actively involved in Portland's nationally acclaimed neighborhood association network since 1983, and served as president of the Northwest District Association. His campaign has already been endorsed by key political leaders, including the Mayor of Portland. Primary: May 21, 1996. **Bob Duehmig [D] for Oregon House of Representatives** Bob Duehmig is running for the seat being vacated by Victory Fund winner Gail Shibley, who is running for the Portland City Council. A Legislative Specialist with the Oregon Federation of Teachers, Education and Health Professionals (OFTEHP), Bob works with the 17 locals to organize political programs such as voter registration. As chief lobbyist for OFTEHP during the 1993 and 1995 legislative sessions, Bob monitored legislation and lobbied for and against bills dealing with education, health care, general labor issues, tax issues, civil rights, and election and campaign finance reform. He is also the American Federation of Teacher's representative in a statewide coalition of unions, environmentalists, civil rights organizations, and other groups responsible for recruiting and supporting progressive candidates. Primary: May 21, 1996. **Chuck Carpenter [R] for Oregon House of Representatives [re-election]** In 1994, Chuck Carpenter made history by becoming the first openly gay Republican to win a seat in any state legislature. Before his election, Chuck served as a naval officer and as International Trade and Operations Analyst with Nike, Inc. During his first term in the legislature, Chuck served on the House Judiciary, Labor and Commerce Committee, and as Chairman of the House Trade and Economic Development Committee. Acknowledged in the Portland media as a "fiscal conservative, environmentalist, and social moderate," Chuck has been recognized for his leadership abilities by both business and environmental activists. He serves on the Board of Directors of Washington County Community Action and the Pacific Northwest International Trade Association. Primary: May 21, 1996. **Dale McCormick [D] for U.S. House of Representatives [ME-1]** Three-term Maine State Senator Dale McCormick is running for the seat held by freshman Congressman James Longley, a conservative Republican who received an 82 (out of 100) rating from the Christian Coalition for supporting their positions on the issues. Dale is well-known in the district because of her accessibility to constituents, her ability to build coalitions among disparate groups, and for the lead roles she has played in statewide health care, welfare, and workers compensation reform. One of the country's first female journey-level carpenters, Dale founded Women Unlimited, which trains women and helps them move from welfare to economic self-sufficiency. She was also the founding President of the Maine Gay/Lesbian Political Alliance and the primary sponsor of the state civil rights bill. Primary: June 11, 1996. **Ron St. John [R] for Arizona House of Representatives** Chief Deputy to a County Supervisor, Ron St. John has been active in politics for more than 20 years. He has been elected Republican precinct committeeman and state committeeman, spoke at the 1980 Republican State Convention, served on the staff of Sen. Barry Goldwater, and worked as a fundraising consultant with the Republican National Senatorial Committee. Ron has been racking up early endorsements including Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe. A strong advocate for gay and lesbian rights, Ron is the local Federal Advocacy Network coordinator for the Human Rights Campaign and served on the Arizonans for Fairness steering committee and on the board of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. His expected opponent is a local Christian Coalition leader who lost in 1994. Primary: September 10, 1996.