My Kansian Alter Ego Comes Out of the Closet

Thomas "Mike" Rundle has been the city commissioner of Lawrence, Kansas for a few years now, and I first found out about him when I was searching for domain names since he's snatched all the good ones related to my name. If you Google "Mike Rundle" I come up first in the results, however he's always held steady at number 2. I've actually conversed with him a few years back so I know he's a good guy.

For the past year, Mike has been the mayor of Lawrence as well, and while stepping down from the post a few weeks ago he announced that unbeknownst to the voters, Mike had been the city's first gay mayor and that he was proud to come out to his fellow Lawrencians. He didn't want to expose his sexuality earlier for fear that it would blind certain townsfolk and not let him do the great job he wanted to do as the city's leader.

I want to say congratulations to my Kansian alter ego for it's tough to expose something like that to the public, and I wish him well in his political career from here on out. Great job, Mike.

Comments

[Jeff Croft]

I'm in Lawrence all the time, man. We really should hook up (not that way!). We'll grab Wilson and have a nice web geek night out on Mass. Street.

:)

[Jeff Croft]

On a more serious note, Lawrence, KS (home of the University of Kansas) might be the most liberal town in the Midwest. There is a large openly gay population and the folks living there are generally forward-thinking and progressive. If there's one place in America you can safely be an opely gay mayor, it's Larryville.

[Matt]

I personally find it sad and appalling that politicians are forced to hide their sexual orientation from the public during their careers; and when such a thing becomes exposed, the general public and the media treat it as some sort of a shocking sexual scandal. In my opinion, it only shows how much more this country still needs to mature.

[Ryan Berg]

Count me in as another standards-based design preaching resident of Lawrence and a student at KU. And by the way Jeff, it's now "The" University of Kansas ;-)

I always thought of you Mike, when reading about our mayor in the paper.