Coatesville City Council Elects Gay President

Courtesy of Coatesville City Council

Earlier this month, the Coatesville City Council elected its first openly gay president. Karl Marking became president of the council on Jan. 3 – the first time an openly gay person has been elected to office in the Chester County town.

According to the council’s charter, Marking – who hails from the fourth ward – will hold his presidential post until 2014. He first ran for council several years ago when Coatesville was being plagued by arsons throughout the city, which is about 35 miles west of Philadelphia.

During his tenure on council, Marking has already created a new website for the city which is scheduled to go live before spring. He also worked with several other council members in recent years to include sexual orientation in the city employment manual, protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in the workplace.