Small town makes history by electing its first gay mayor

Pine City, Minnesota made history this week when it elected its first gay mayor.

Kent Bombard was sworn in after the previous mayor stepped down to spend more time with his family. In doing so, he became the town’s first gay mayor and one of only two gay mayors currently in office in the state of Minnesota.

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“It’s incredible. It’s crazy. It’s surprising that it’s 2024, and there’s only two in the state of Minnesota,” Bombard said.

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Bombard and his husband, Aaron, live in the city. Bombard previously worked in information technology and served on the Pine City Planning Commission.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, people respect you for being you. People are willing and able to help,” Bombard said to FOX 9.

Pine City has a history of supporting LGBTQ+ rights and people. Bombard also said that Pine City was the first rural community in Minnesota to host a Pride Celebration. The city started East Central Minnesota Pride in 2005.

The United States has seen an uptick in LGBTQ+ people holding public office. A recent report by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute found that the number of LGBTQ+ elected officials in the United States has increased by nearly 200% in the last seven years. It also found that every state and D.C. has at least one openly queer elected official, with there being 1,303 out LGBTQ elected officials total in the United States.

Still, despite the increase, LGBTQ+ people are still “severely underrepresented at nearly every level of government and in nearly every public position in the United States,” the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute found. The report also found that hundreds more mayors and 16,000 local officials must be elected for equitable representation.

Bombard is helping create more LGBTQ+ representation by holding office.

And on being mayor, Bombard said, “It’s fantastic. I’m ready to hit the ground running. I’m ready to help lead and help make positive change.” He noted that his focus will be on increasing housing and jobs in Pine City. Though his term ends at the end of December, he’s already campaigning to be elected to another term in November.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight. Leading a city is leading a city. Being part of the community is being a part of a community and it takes all kinds to make the world go around,” Bombard said.

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