A little less conversation, a little more action.
It’s what some members of City Council and many in the community are expecting from Mayor Lenny Curry after tonight’s third and final community conversation on discrimination.
Discussions about expanding local discrimination laws to include lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people have taken place over the past month.
It’s been part of Curry’s plan to lead the conversation, listen and then possibly act.
“I think there will be enough to act on,” said council member Jim Love. “I think a good bill can be crafted that will meet the needs of the citizens.”
Love attended the forum on discrimination and religion Dec. 3 at Edward Waters College. He maintains the law needs to be expanded and thinks Curry will introduce legislation to do as much.
Love bases that on signals from Curry, including the One City, One Jacksonville mantra the mayor promotes.
And if Curry doesn’t introduce legislation, council member Tommy Hazouri said he will. The mayor, he said, is “absolutely” on the clock after tonight when it comes to promoting a bill expanding the law.
“I’m waiting on the mayor,” Hazouri said. “If he offers legislation that’s all inclusive, I’d congratulate him.”
If not, though, Hazouri said he’ll file a bill in the next couple of months. He went to the first community conversation on the law and families and children Nov. 17 at Florida State College at Jacksonville. He said since talks began he hasn’t “heard anything I haven’t heard 1,000 times.”
“I think people’s minds are made up,” he said.
Council President Greg Anderson is one whose mind isn’t yet made up. He hasn’t heard a lot of room for compromise on the issue from advocates or supporters, which has made it a difficult process for the community.
He said he is looking forward to seeing where Curry goes with the issue, but until there is a bill — a “road map” — to review, he said he didn’t have a position.
Anderson said he hopes to see some type of bill in the next several weeks and will pay attention to the language it holds.
Love, too, said the language will be vital. It was one of the points he became clearer about after the forum on religion and the law.
Both Anderson and Love supported the expansion in 2012. The effort was defeated 10-9.
There’s also been more discussion in recent weeks about putting the expansion on the ballot as a public referendum. Houston was the last major city to do that in early November and it failed to pass.
Love said that would be “shirking our job, ducking responsibility.”
“I believe that is our job to pass ordinances and law for the people,” said Love . “We’ve been elected to do that.”
Hazouri, meanwhile, called a ballot initiative a “cop-out” by elected officials who push the idea.
“I was elected to make tough decisions,” he said. “I think it would create a chasm (in the community) that would almost be irreparable.”
Anderson said he’s heard the referendum conversation, but is undecided until he sees any legislation.
The Jacksonville Coalition for Equality at 2 p.m. will unveil a list of 200 small and large businesses that have signed on in support of expanding the human rights ordinance.
That will act as sort of a lead-up to the 6 p.m. panel at Jacksonville University that focuses on the law and business.
Panelists tonight will be Amy Ruth of Florida Blue; Roger Gannam of the Liberty Counsel; Jack Webb of Kelly Kronenberg; Diann Catlin of Diann Catlin Lessons-Etiquette; the Rev. Ken Adkins of Issachar Media Group; and Hugh Greene of Baptist Health.
From there, the community conversations will be done — and the focus shifts to Curry and other elected officials.
@writerchapman
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