NEW PALTZ, N.Y. —  New Paltz Mayor Jason West (search) said he won't perform any more gay or lesbian marriages until Saturday.

West said he has been overwhelmed by the number of people inquiring about the ceremonies since Thursday night, when he announced it was his moral duty to marry homosexual couples.

Now West has a waiting list of 500 people and isn't sure how many couples he'll be able to wed next weekend. He has set up a waiting list on the city's Web site and says he will not accept "walk-ins."

West said he hasn't been served with any papers from prosecutors or officials who have said they will punish the mayor for performing what they claim are illegal ceremonies. Ulster County (search) District Attorney Donald Williams said he is waiting for a police report to determine whether to prosecute.

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (search) refused a request from state health officials to block the marriages, but did not issue an opinion on whether the unions were legal.

In San Francisco, about 3,400 gay couples have been wed since Mayor Gavin Newsom (search) began allowing same-sex marriages Feb. 12.