Rasmussen served two terms as mayor of Silverton, Oregon, back in the late '80s and early '90s, before he went public with his sexual reawakening, long locks of red curly hair and a can-do attitude.
"I just happen to be transgendered - something I didn't even know the word for until I discovered it on the Internet," he says on his Rasmussen for Mayor website.
"I've been a crossdresser or transvestite my whole life, only 'coming out' recently and thereby discovering that life goes on very nicely."
Silverton's 10,000 residents don't seem to mind their mayor's transformation, electing him by a 13 percent margin. As Gail Frassenei told KGW.com, "He wants to maintain the integrity of Silverton.
I think it's amazing a small town like this can be so open-minded, to elect someone that's made a life change."