Three meetings almost turned to one — and the City Council’s process to determine how and if Jacksonville should expand its human rights ordinance was almost stopped before it started.
Council Vice President Lori Boyer pushed to withdraw two bills that would chart the path of how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people could be added to anti-discrimination law. One bill keeps the decision with council members. The other puts it on a ballot for voters.
However, Boyer thought a third option should be pursued.
“The playing field changed last Friday,” said Boyer, referencing a decision made by Mayor Lenny Curry.
The mayor’s directive was to align the city’s employment policies with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Doing so would protect LGBT city employees from discrimination. Additionally, city vendors would be required to follow similar procedures.
Boyer said she wasn’t comfortable with either council bill and agreed with Curry’s stance of making the city’s violent crime issue a top priority. The full impact of Curry’s directive, she said, isn’t known and should have the chance to be implemented.
She then moved to withdraw Tommy Hazouri’s bill, the one in which elected leaders decide the issue. Bill Gulliford said he would withdraw his bill for a referendum if Hazouri’s bill was withdrawn.
Hazouri was visibly agitated about the attempt. He said he was disappointed in Boyer, who’s slated to become council president.
He argued that council shouldn’t stop pursuing issues because others come up.
“This is a cop out to me,” he said.
Others said they weren’t comfortable with deviating from the process council President Greg Anderson laid out for the debate.
The people were promised three meetings, said Reggie Brown, who supported some type of council action. Two more meetings are scheduled, culminating with a special council meeting March 3 to vote on the bills.
“The process must be honored,” said Brown.
Anderson, though, agreed with Boyer. He said he didn’t want to pass any bill that conflicted with the mayor’s position. Instead, he said he thought the prudent thing to do was “press the pause button” and revisit the issue in three months.
After several other council members weighed in, the withdrawal failed by an 11-8 vote. The bills are still active and the debate continues, unless council members revisit the issue.
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