Gary Cloutier
Encyclopedia
Gary Cloutier is a politician elected mayor of Vallejo, California
on November 21, 2007, sworn in on December 4, 2007, but replaced by Osby Davis on December 8, 2007. His opponent, real estate attorney Osby Davis, requested a recount that showed Davis had won the election by fewer than five votes. However, on December 8, 2007, Cloutier said he would be taking legal steps "soon" to challenge the recount.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/08/BAGRKTQRNP.DTL Both candidates represent a first for Vallejo: Cloutier would be the first openly gay mayor of Vallejo, whereas Davis would be its first African-American mayor.
Gary Cloutier is the former law partner of the late pioneering gay civil rights lawyer, Paul Wotman, who obtained the largest gay discrimination verdict ever against the Shell Oil Company
in 1991. Wotman and Cloutier were among the first lawyers in the State of California to make new law under the Americans with Disabilities Act for same- and opposite-sex couples who had been discriminated against due to the HIV status of one partner in seeking life insurance.
In one of the first refusal to treat cases to go to trial since the United States Supreme Court ruled that people with asymptomatic HIV are protected by disability law, he won a significant verdict against a University of California
surgeon who refused to operate on an HIV positive patient with avascular necrosis.
In the more recent San Francisco Superior Court case of Gohstand v. Leibert, he obtained a large and highly publicized settlement in behalf of a straight man who was beaten outside a gay bar by two students from UC Berkeley
who believed the victim was gay.
Cloutier grew up in Rhode Island
and received a BA in Political Science from Brown University
where he was an all-Ivy defensive tackle and the winner of the Eugene Swift award, and a law degree, from Suffolk Law School. He is a former staff member to Sen. Claiborne Pell
(D
-RI), and he served on the Vallejo City Council for eight years.
Just days after his win of the election for mayor, Cloutier was arrested for public drunkenness as he sat in the driver's seat of his Cadillac in the early morning hours of November 18, 2007 in Palm Springs
outside a gay bar.
He spent five hours in jail and was released. At a press conference outside Vallejo City Hall, Cloutier said he "...Made a mistake that I deeply regret... I had too much to drink...[and] I make no excuses, and I accept full responsibility for my actions. I have embarrassed myself, concerned my colleagues and disappointed my supporters. I deeply regret my actions, and apologize to the people I've let down, especially those who have worked so hard on my campaign." Cloutier also said it would never happen again.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/21/BA0OTFVUU.DTL&tsp=1
He was sworn into office November 21, 2007.
After the Vallejo mayor's race, he worked as an aide to the Mayor and Commission of the City of Miami Beach, published a book, "Rough Point" on his experience as an athlete, civil rights lawyer and politician, and started a blog, "AmongTheHogs," a website dedicated "to people, places, books, and everything that appears interesting and excellent, with some talk of politics."
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
on November 21, 2007, sworn in on December 4, 2007, but replaced by Osby Davis on December 8, 2007. His opponent, real estate attorney Osby Davis, requested a recount that showed Davis had won the election by fewer than five votes. However, on December 8, 2007, Cloutier said he would be taking legal steps "soon" to challenge the recount.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/08/BAGRKTQRNP.DTL Both candidates represent a first for Vallejo: Cloutier would be the first openly gay mayor of Vallejo, whereas Davis would be its first African-American mayor.
Gary Cloutier is the former law partner of the late pioneering gay civil rights lawyer, Paul Wotman, who obtained the largest gay discrimination verdict ever against the Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
in 1991. Wotman and Cloutier were among the first lawyers in the State of California to make new law under the Americans with Disabilities Act for same- and opposite-sex couples who had been discriminated against due to the HIV status of one partner in seeking life insurance.
In one of the first refusal to treat cases to go to trial since the United States Supreme Court ruled that people with asymptomatic HIV are protected by disability law, he won a significant verdict against a University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
surgeon who refused to operate on an HIV positive patient with avascular necrosis.
In the more recent San Francisco Superior Court case of Gohstand v. Leibert, he obtained a large and highly publicized settlement in behalf of a straight man who was beaten outside a gay bar by two students from UC Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
who believed the victim was gay.
Cloutier grew up in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and received a BA in Political Science from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
where he was an all-Ivy defensive tackle and the winner of the Eugene Swift award, and a law degree, from Suffolk Law School. He is a former staff member to Sen. Claiborne Pell
Claiborne Pell
Claiborne de Borda Pell was a United States Senator from Rhode Island, serving six terms from 1961 to 1997, and was best known as the sponsor of the Pell Grant, which provides financial aid funding to U.S. college students. A Democrat, he was that state's longest serving senator.-Early years:Pell...
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-RI), and he served on the Vallejo City Council for eight years.
Just days after his win of the election for mayor, Cloutier was arrested for public drunkenness as he sat in the driver's seat of his Cadillac in the early morning hours of November 18, 2007 in Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
outside a gay bar.
He spent five hours in jail and was released. At a press conference outside Vallejo City Hall, Cloutier said he "...Made a mistake that I deeply regret... I had too much to drink...[and] I make no excuses, and I accept full responsibility for my actions. I have embarrassed myself, concerned my colleagues and disappointed my supporters. I deeply regret my actions, and apologize to the people I've let down, especially those who have worked so hard on my campaign." Cloutier also said it would never happen again.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/21/BA0OTFVUU.DTL&tsp=1
He was sworn into office November 21, 2007.
After the Vallejo mayor's race, he worked as an aide to the Mayor and Commission of the City of Miami Beach, published a book, "Rough Point" on his experience as an athlete, civil rights lawyer and politician, and started a blog, "AmongTheHogs," a website dedicated "to people, places, books, and everything that appears interesting and excellent, with some talk of politics."