The Oakland Park, Fla., City Commission unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday calling on President Obama and Congressional leaders to end the ban on openly gay servicemembers.  The resolution was sponsored by Commissioner Anthony Niedwiecki, the city’s only openly gay official and a former Victory Fund endorsee.

Niedwiecki worked with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN),  American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER), Fight OUT Loud and other organizations to compose the resolution.  Its passage is part of a nationwide grassroots effort, organized by SLDN, to get local governments to pass legislation advocating for the repeal of the policy. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” has led to the discharge of more than 200 openly gay servicemembers since President Obama took office in January.

“I am so proud of my city and my fellow commissioners in Oakland Park for passing this resolution,” said Niedwiecki. “Fighting for the equality of our citizens, supporting strong national security, and making sure everyone has the freedom to serve our country openly and honestly, without fear of discrimination or harassment, are important values for Oakland Park.”

The full text of Niedwiecki’s resolution can be found here.

This effort is one of many that Niedwiecki has championed in Oakland Park since his election earlier this year, including the city’s very first pride month proclamation, the addition of non-discrimination policies to city contracts, and the first LGBT pride event for the Florida city.

Victory endorsee Anthony Niedwiecki, who won his election last week to join the Oakland Park, Fla. City Commission, was sworn into office yesterday.

Niedwiecki beat his opponent by a margin of 66-34. Because he received the most votes in this election he will become vice-mayor of the city next year and mayor the year after that.

View photos of the ceremony here.

Law professor and LGBT rights activist Anthony Niedwiecki won his election for Oakland Park, Fla. City Commission last night, beating his opponent by a margin of 66-34. Because he received the most votes in this election he will become vice-mayor of the city next year and mayor the year after that.

“I’m excited and humbled by it all,” he told the Sun-Sentinel. “We ran a good campaign. “We will move forward with a new fresh voice … and will make sure that we are doing whatever we can to reach out to the residents.”

Anthony, a Victory Fund endorsee, is an outspoken LGBT rights advocate. In addition to assisting in efforts to remove anti-gay Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle from office, he also co-founded the national LGBT organization Fight OUT Loud, which supports victims of anti-gay discrimination.

Most personally, he and his partner took in a foster son who was left homeless by the state because he was deemed “unadoptable” because of his HIV-positive status. Together, his family traveled to Tallahassee to testify in front of the State Senate in an effort to overturn the ban on adoption by gays and lesbians.

Now only two months into 2009, the Victory Fund has endorsed seven more candidates, bringing the year’s total number of endorsees to 17. These endorsees include Shane Cohn, a 28-year-old first-time candidate running for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, and Robert Garcia, who seeks a seat on the Long Beach, CA City Council.

Here’s a run-down of the new round of endorsements:

Shane Cohn - St. Louis Board of Aldermen

Shane Cohn is young, motivated and ready to serve the people of St. Louis as the next alderman for District 25. The 28-year-old Cohn has already acquired valuable experience that defies his years. He currently serves on the board of the local neighborhood business association as well as on the board of the National Conference for Community and Justice in St. Louis — one of the oldest and most respected human relations organizations in the area.

Robert Garcia – Long Beach City Council

Currently a faculty member and dean of student affairs at Long Beach City College, Robert is one of six candidates vying for a a seat on the Long Beach City Council. Despite all his competition, Robert has emerged as the front runner because of his ability to pick up key endorsements and raise money. This is a major opportunity for the LGBT community. If elected, Robert would become the second openly gay person (along with Gerry Schipske) to serve on the body.

John Duran- West Hollywood City Council

During his eight years on the West Hollywood City Council, John has engaged in vocal pro-LGBT activism. A former board president of Equality California, he helped lead the fundraising efforts to defeat Proposition 8. In January, he received the 2009 Keeper of the Dream Award by the City of West Hollywood for his “extraordinary leadership in bringing to light the struggles of various groups in West Hollywood through advocacy for civil and human rights, especially marriage equality.”

Anthony Niedwiecki – Oakland Park, Florida City Commission

Anthony is a law professor and an outspoken LGBT advocate who also serves as vice president and co-founder of a national LGBT organization called Fight OUT Loud, a which helps LGBT individuals who face discrimination. He assisted in an effort to have anti-gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle removed from office and worked with the local transgender community to expand local anti-discrimination efforts. Anthony is a strong fundraiser, a passionate gay-rights advocate and has a solid team behind him.

Scott Hall – Jacksonville City Council Alderman

Scott Hall cares deeply for his community in Jacksonville — and the residents know it. Based on his extensive community involvement, several local leaders actively encouraged him to run for the seat on the Jacksonville Board of Aldermen. In addition to his support for the community at-large, Scott has also worked for the LGBT community. He’s actively lobbied his state legislator to create civil unions in Illinois and asked the local government to add sexual orientation to Jacksonville’s anti-discrimination policy, a move he would support as an alderman.

Adam Ebbin – Virginia State House of Delegates

As the only out legislator in the state, Adam Ebbin stands as one of LGBT Virginian’s greatest voices in the fight for equality. Virginia isn’t known for its LGBT-friendly state legislature, but Adam has served as a voice for the community amid a less-than-hospitable environment.  He provides a strong presence in Virginia whose presence is invaluable to LGBT Virginia residents.

Jeffrey Prang – West Hollywood City Council

Mayor Jeff Prang has provided strong leadership on the West Hollywood City Council since 1997. Not only has Jeff supported services for local residents living with HIV/AIDS and supported one of the nation’s first transgender non-discrimination ordinances in the nation, he’s also fought for the rights of all LGBT Californians. Jeff successfully lobbied the state legislature and Board of Equalization to change state legislation to extend domestic partnership benefits to city employees, especially for retirement and medical benefits.