Patrick Guerriero
Patrick Guerriero is a Republican politician who is the has been the executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans since January 1, 2003. Previously, he served three terms as a state representative and two as mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts.
Guerriero was born to an Italian immigrant and mason father and a social worker mother. Guerriero learned the importance of hard work, leadership and basic values from his working class family. He worked his way through college, spending his summers mixing cement and hauling bricks for his family's masonry business. Guerriero attended Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he played soccer at and graduated summa cum laude in 1990. The next year, Guerriero attended Boston College's Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Fellowship in American Government Program. Guerriero came out to his family shortly after college, and they have been very supportive of him and his political endeavors ever since.
State Representative
In 1993 Guerriero was elected to the Massachusetts state house (35th Middlesex District) at the age of 25. He had an excellent voting record and fought for lower taxes, fiscal discipline, improved public schools, better public safety, and welfare reform. Guerriero was a staunch supporter of the landmark 1993 Education Reform Act that required students pass standardized graduation tests (MCAS). He was also an advocate for gay and lesbian issues, effecting strict anti-hate crimes legislation and increased AIDS awareness funding.
Guerriero was awarded the John F. Kennedy Library's Fenn Award for politicians 35 years of age and younger on November 10, 1998. He was chosen in part the leadership he demonstrated in pursuing legislation that gave cities and towns control over which stores can provide the lottery game Keno. In 1994, Guerriero first introduced legislation supported by local town and city board of selectmen asking for its regulation. The bill was voted down by a margin of three to one in the House of Representatives and opposed by owners and operators of convenience stores, the Massachusetts Convenience Store Association, the New England Convenience Store Association, and the Lottery Commission. Guerriero, however, was able to pursuade the legislature to suppor the measure, and on April 11, 1996, Governor William Weld signed a bill into law requiring the Lottery Commission to submit an application for Keno licensing by certified mail to the mayor or board of selectmen of a municipality which must be publicized in the local newspaper.
Mayor
In 1998, Guerriero was elected mayor of the city of Melrose, Massachusetts with 85% of the vote. As mayor, he worked to achieve fiscal discipline, better public schools, and a more genial and friendly community. Guerriero developed his hands-on style in becoming mayor: he visited local public and private schools to give speeches during his campaign and later helped collect trash and plow snow as mayor. This won him the support of the residents, who elected him to a second term with over 80% of the vote. During his tenure as mayor, Guerriero created a "civility initiative" which encouraged residents to show each other respect and courtesy. This project earned him the City Livability Award at the U.S. Mayor's Association 2000 City Livability Awards. He also led the way for the city building its first new public schools in over 30 years.
In May 2001, Guerriero stepped down as major to join the administration of Jane Swift, the first female governor of Massachusetts, who took over when then Governor Paul Cellucci became U.S. ambassador to Canada. He served as deputy chief of staff, advising Swift on such issues as domestic partner benefits and working with religious leaders to stop the anti-Muslim backlash after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He later served as her running mate in the 2002 Gubernatorial elections. After she withdrew from the race, he supported Mitt Romney, who eventually won the election. Guerriero campaigned for Romney, spoke to him about issues related to the gay community, and served on the governor-elect's transition team.
Log Cabin
On January 1, 2003, Patrick Guerriero succeeded Rich Tafel as the leader of the Log Cabin Republicans. Since accepting the position, Guerriero has faced sharp criticism from both the left and the right. Minister Fred Phelps called him a "faggot…worthy of the death penalty." while a Democrat in Los Angeles dubbed him "just another self-hating faggot" in an E-mail and wrote, "You and people like you are the worst enemies of the gay community."
Guerriero often writes op-ed pieces for Massachusetts newspapers. He praised the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's 2003 decision in the case of Goodridge et al. v. Department of Public Health as a conservative ruling supporting stable families, relationships, and society, limited government, individual liberty, and religious freedom. Guerriero has supported gay rights in the conservative tradition of Massachusetts Republican Governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci.