Herzenberg, NC’s first openly gay elected official, dies at 66

CHAPEL HILL (AP) — North Carolina’s first openly gay elected official has died. Joe Herzenberg of Chapel Hill died Sunday at the age of 66.

Friends say Herzenberg first ran for the Chapel Hill Town Council in 1979 and was appointed to a position there two years later. He finally won an election to the position in 1987.

Mark Kleinschmidt is a Chapel Hill Town Council member who is also gay. He says Herzenberg is a personal hero whose legacy helped other gays enter and succeed in politics.

Herzenberg’s resigned from the council in 1993 after pleading guilty to not paying state taxes.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)