Randy Ross is a name many LGBTs recognize in Central Florida. He was heavily involved with AIDS Walk Orlando and is known for his social media campaigning for a variety of causes.
But now, the openly gay Orlando resident is on a new path of recognition”he has announced his candidacy for Orlando City Council. Ross hopes to represent District 1, an area that meanders from Delaney Park to the Orlando International Airport and Lake Nona. Currently the district is served by Phil Diamond, who will resign his post to run for Mayor.
Ross will face Stephen Rayle, who filed paperwork in late December.
Ross' central campaign issue is to create new jobs in Orlando by proposing new programs like the “50 x 3″ Orlando Job Fair Plan, which would require the City of Orlando to sponsor a job fair every 90 days for the next two years.
Central Florida is still reeling from the 2007-2009 Great Recession with a 10.6% unemployment rate compared to 5% in 1994, when Ross first moved to Orlando, and a 3% average in 2006. Orlando's unemployment rate surpasses the national average of 8.6% according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.
Ross said the goal of his job fair program would to put at least 150 unemployed Orlando residents back to work every 90 days.
His run for City Council was motivated by his feeling his voice was not being heard by the city. When asked, how his job plans might bridge the gap between affluent neighborhoods like Delaney Park and Lake Nona in District 1 and impoverished communities like Paramore or the homeless, he did not have a simple solution.
“There is no easy answer,” he said. “The best thing that we can do is get people back to work,” said Ross. But even if District 1 may not have many homeless, he said its residents need to understand the issue.
While he doesn't keep his sexuality a secret, his orientation is one of the last things he has considered when it comes to campaigning”something he learned a lot about when he first sought public office 12 years ago as he campaigned for a seat on the Orange County School Board. He said it was incredibly difficult to campaign for public office as a closeted, gay man.
“I saw the many challenges teachers faced and wanted to work to help make teachers happier in their jobs,” said Ross. “I have always had an interest in politics and have a passion for education, especially kids that are disadvantaged.”
Despite his passion, Ross ran his School Board campaign in fear.
“It was frightening, I was worried that people would find out that I was gay,” said Ross. “Back then, Orlando was not ready for things like a human rights ordinance or the domestic partnership registry that are happening today.”
At the age of 36, Ross came out and has lived openly as a gay man for a decade. Now at 46, he said he is more concerned about other issues like unemployment, crime, pedestrian safety, elderly care, and disadvantaged youth.
Unlike before, he doesn't have to hide anything while he campaigns.
“Now, I don't have to worry about that at all,” Ross said about keeping his sexuality a secret. “I can focus on what I have done in the community.”
Ross has past experience with job fairs after launching The Employment Guide in Orlando through Trader Publishing Company in 1999. He says it was one of the city's largest job fairs to date during a time of relatively low unemployment.
He claims creating more jobs will help deal with other issues in Orlando like homelessness and crime. Earlier this year, CBS' 60 Minutes filmed a segment on homeless children in Central Florida spotlighting a serious problem in Orlando. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the national child-poverty rate will soon hit 25%.
With a crime rate of 104 per 1,000 residents, Orlando also has one of the highest crime rates in America. Ross helped start a Crime Watch in his neighborhood after a string of robberies and a neighbor was murdered.
The community as a whole has common concerns, and embracing diversity is key to bring everyone to the same table, Ross said. He cited his work with Title I school children, the Orlando Inner-City Games, also known as the After-School All-Stars, and his work with HIV/AIDS fundraising.
“There isn't one particular answer to bridging our community,” said Ross, using his past success of raising $20,000 for AIDS Walk Orlando as an example. “It was not black or white. You find a way to bring people to do a common thing together.”
Looking back as he moves forward with his campaign, Ross says that he does not regret waiting so long to come out. He would not be who he is today without the experiences he had.
But as he gears up for the campaign season, he says being out empowers him to not only support LGBT equality, but also make a greater impact in the entire Orlando community with no fear only freedom.
“2012 is a great time to be who you really are,” he said.
City Commission elections are slated for April 3. If Ross were to win, he would be the second openly gay commissioner in Orlando. District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan has served her position since 2000.
