In 1984 he was elected to Silverton, Oregon City Council. In 1988 he was elected mayor and re-elected in 1990. In 2004 he was re-elected to City Council. In 2006 he ran for mayor but lost. He re-ran in 2008 and was elected.
Managed the single screen Palace Theatre in Silverton, Oregon.
In January 2009 he was sworn in as mayor of Silverton, Oregon, America's first transgender mayor.