Jason West

Jason West
Jason West during his 2007 re-election campaign
Mayor of New Paltz, New York
In office June 1, 2011 – May 30, 2015
Preceded by	Terry Dungan
Succeeded by	Tim Rogers
In office January 1, 2003 – May 31, 2007
Preceded by	Thomas Nyquist
Succeeded by	Terry Dungan
Personal details
Born	(1977-03-26) March 26, 1977 (age 40) Latham, New York
Political party	Green
Alma mater	State University of New York at New Paltz University of California, Berkeley

Jason West (born March 26, 1977) is the former mayor of the village of New Paltz, New York. He served previously as the village's mayor from January 1, 2003 to May 31, 2007, and again from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2015.

A graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz, West made headlines by solemnizing same-sex marriages in New York. After running as a protest candidate for the New York State Assembly in 2000 and 2002 on the Green Party ticket, West was elected mayor of New Paltz in 2003. He lost his re-election bid on May 1, 2007, to Village Trustee Terry Dungan.

Elected Mayor of New Paltz in 2003 with promises of environmental sustainability, Jason West gained international attention, initially as part of the first Green Party majority elected in New York State and later for risking criminal prosecution to marry twenty-five same-sex couples.

Mayor West was named the Best New Mayor of 2003 by Hudson Valley Magazine. He was honored by such organizations as the New York State Senate Democratic Conference, the California State Legislature and community organizations from around the country. He has been profiled in such magazines as the New York Times Magazine, Plenty, Out, The Advocate and Jane.

On February 27, 2004, West drew national attention to New Paltz when he announced that he would be performing same-sex marriages. On the first day he performed 24 such ceremonies. On March 2, he was charged with 19 misdemeanor counts of "solemnizing marriages without a license" by Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams. According to Williams, West was not charged for all 25 ceremonies because police only witnessed 19 of them.

West originally announced that he intended to continue performing same-sex weddings; however, on March 5, New York state judge Vincent Bradley issued a temporary restraining order barring West from performing any such ceremonies for a month. West indicated that he would abide by the judicial order while evaluating his legal options. On June 6, Ulster County Supreme Court Judge Michael Kavanagh made the injunction permanent. West later remarked, "Give it 10 or 20 years when we're holding state legislatures and Congress. It will just be a nonissue."