David Rosen is running for treasurer of the most populous county in Texas. In his latest campaign video, he explains how his two moms, retired public schoolteachers, inspired him to serve his community.
Rosen’s two moms, Andrea and Vivian, worked a combined 70 years as teachers in Houston’s public schools. It was their example of honorably serving the community, he says in the video below, that have motivated him to do the same.
In the video and on his website, he explains that if elected, he will fight for same-sex partner benefits for county employees and anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people. His moms, he notes, have never been able to share health insurance because their 28-year relationship is not legally recognized.
On his website, he says his other major goals are using technology to increase transparency, regularly issuing reports on the state of local finances, and teaching business skills to at-risk kids. He currently works for an offshore engineering company and is an MBA candidate in the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business. He served as Student Body President at the University of Houston when he was an undergraduate.
Houston, of course, is led by Mayor Annise Parker, herself a lesbian mom. She championed a city-wide LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination ordinance that passed in May despite vehement opposition from some Houstonians. An effort to repeal it through a ballot measure failed to get enough signatures.
The Houston Press has more about the election, along with a great quote from Rosen about some of the negative comments his video has gotten:
“There was one [comment] that said, ‘I believe in the Bible, I believe in Jesus, I’m not voting for you,'” Rosen said. “Well, my parents believe in Jesus and the Bible and there are two of them, so I guess they’ll cancel out your vote.”
Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, is not only the state’s most populous county, but the third most populous in the entire United States.
Thanks to COLAGE for posting about the Houston Press article on their Facebook page.