New York City Councilman Jimmy Van
Bramer is engaged to marry his longtime partner, Dan Hendrick,
Queens-based the Sunnyside Post reported.
Bramer and Hendrick, who have been
together for more than 12 years, are expected to tie the knot next
July or early August.
“It did catch me by surprise even
though we had talked about getting married for years,” Van Bramer
said. “I was at a conference and marriage was not on my mind that
day.”
Hendrick proposed marriage to Van
Bramer last week.
“I ultimately did it in a
restaurant,” Hendrick told the paper. “It was a beautiful
setting on the water. I picked up engagement rings for the two of
us, had some nice things to say and sprung the question.”
However, Bramer isn't likely to be the
city's first openly gay elected official to marry since a gay
marriage law went into effect in July. New York City Council Speaker
Christine Quinn and her partner of 10 years, lawyer Kim Catullo, plan
to wed next spring. Quinn is considered the frontrunner to succeed
Mayor Michael Bloomberg next year.