Phil Reed

Phil Reed (February 21, 1949 – November 6, 2008) was a New York City Council Member from 1998 to 2005, when term limits forced him out of office. He represented Council District 8, encompassing Manhattan neighborhoods of East Harlem and Manhattan Valley, and a portion of the South Bronx, as well as Randall's Island, Wards Island and Central Park. He was the first openly gay African-American New York City Council Member. From 2002 to 2005 he was the chair of the Council's Committee on Consumer Affairs.

Reed was born in New York on February 21, 1949. He dropped out of Ohio Wesleyan University and received conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War. Prior to joining the Council, Reed worked for ten years as a sales representative for Otis Elevator Company in San Francisco. After returning to New York City, he was the project director at the East New York HIV/AIDS Project, and as the Director of Public Affairs for the Hetrick-Martin Institute. In 1981, he first developed symptoms that were ultimately diagnosed as HIV. From mid-1995 to early 1997, he underwent 18 months of chemotherapy for multiple myeloma, a virulent form of bone marrow cancer.

Reed had earlier run and lost bids for the New York State Senate and the City Council. In 1997, Adam Clayton Powell IV ran for Manhattan Borough President, and Reed won a five-way race in the Democratic Party primary to fill Powell's vacant seat. He won the 1997 general election with 75% of the vote, outpacing four challengers led by Republican George L. Espada who had 18% of the vote.

...
Wikipedia