Supervisor John Woolley to
take over as Chair in 2006
By Charles Douglas
HUMBOLDT SENTINEL
EUREKA - After several hours of testimony that
ranged from tearful to the enraged on Dec. 6, the Board of
Supervisors approved a symbolic resolution expressing their
support for same-sex marriage rights.
While the resolution had no practical affect in light of
the statewide support of domestic partnerships and prohibition
on same-sex marriage via the voter-approved Proposition 22
in 2000, the subject was treated with greater weight in terms
of the outpouring of public interest than any other issue
facing county representatives in the latter half of the year.
|  Supervisor
Roger Rodoni was the lone dissenter in the 3-1 vote,
citing a responsibility to the residents of his Second
District constituents in communities such as Rio Dell
and Fortuna, where voters five years ago were over 70%
in favor of limiting marriage.
“I have the dictionary and I’ve looked
up some of the words…marriage isn’t clear
but when it says marry it says you will choose either
a husband or a wife, and that leaves little doubt in
my mind,” he said. “This is political, I
don’t think there’s any love, hate or indifference,
it’s political and it has to do with the law.”
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Pastor Rick McGuinty kicked the public debate off with admitting
he has a gay brother, while still condemning his behavior.
“This new world order of moral relativism would have
us believe that no one should judge another,” he said.
“There are limits to our tolerance of cultural diversity,
for we are not very accepting of Nazi culture, for example…without
moral absolutes, where will post-modernity next take society?”
McGuinty alleged an acceptance of sexual diversity is linked
with abortion, euthanasia and child pornography, and said
sexual expression was a need instead of a right. He said that
if sexual orientation was a genetically linked tendency, then
it was much the same as inborn tendencies to alcoholism, schizophrenia
and violence.
These sentiments were echoed by Co-Op Purchasing Manager
and Bayside resident Karen Brooks, who compared the sensibility
of same-sex marriage to the notions of primates or hippos
being granted marriage rights.
“Same sex couples have a selfish desire to get married,
not a selfless desire,” she said. “To allow same-sex
couples into a marriage relationship would discriminate against
all other forms.”
Methodist minister Bud Tillingast had a different theological
take on the issue, comparing present discrimination against
gays and lesbians to previous marriage-based discrimination
based on slavery, race and divorce. Despite references to
these practices in many versions of the Bible, Tillingast,
who plans to perform a marriage service in New Zealand between
his son and a male partner, said the unthinkable is now the
accepted.
American Civil Liberties Union spokesperson Christina Allbright
thanked Supervisors for their leadership and courage while
also extending an invitation to all sides on the issue to
take part in community forums to further the dialogue.
“This is the last wave of the civil rights movement,”
she said.
Steven Anderson identified himself as part of a gay relationship
for 18 years, and said Jesus never referred to homosexuality.
“If the Christians have any sense of ethics, decency
or integrity, they would live their book, which says to stone
their children if they lie to you,” he said. “I
see them being selective, I see them serving their own political
interests. Love is love, and you can’t legislate it,
no matter what you do.”
While married couple David and Penny Elsebusch of McKinleyville
usually confine their frequent comments in Supervisors’
Chambers to the financial and development policies of the
county, they both rose to support equal rights to pension
and other benefits for same-sex couples while opposing the
use of the term marriage.
“In terms of marriage, it’s a long standing legal
situation that you get a license, not everyone is entitled
to every kind of license, how about a contractors license?”
he asked. “The homosexual community can lobby or maybe
you want to lobby, even the most fanatical homophobe might
support equal rights and opportunities and respect…but
don’t call it marriage, marriage is a word that’s
taken.”
A disabled veteran from Eureka couldn’t disagree more.
Larry Comstock said he was discriminated against and physically
attacked when he tried to serve the military, after which
he was discharged for being gay.
“That flag stands for everybody’s rights, not
just half of the people’s rights, and if we’re
only going for everybody’s rights then we might as well
tear down that flag,” he said.
A seemingly even divide in the public turnout turned towards
the resolution’s favor as the noon hour approached and
many other gay and lesbian residents stepped out of the closet
and told of their personal experience with bigotry.
“I ask you to pass this resolution, because it means
so much to my family,” said Michelle Hastings, who lives
in Eureka with her partner and daughter. “When I go
back to Texas to visit my family, I have no protections.”
Councilmembers for the county’s two largest cities
were present to support the resolution, in the personage of
Arcata’s Paul Pitino and Eureka’s Chris Kerrigan.
The later said the move would make him proud to live in the
community, although neither he nor Pitino have introduced
such resolutions on behalf of their own governments.
Supervisor Jill Geist, who co-sponsored the Human Rights
Commission-drafted resolution with her colleague Bonnie Neely,
defended the symbolic move as deeply meaningful.
“We often act on issues that are not the direct business
of the county but are the business of the people, because
that’s our business,” Geist said. “It is
a message that expresses a need of tolerance understanding
and respect for our multicultural society we all live in,
a society dedicated to the expression of free choice.”
Rodoni prefaced his comments with a public wish that he were
on jury duty, which was Supervisory Jimmy Smith’s reason
for not attending the vote. Smith appeared immediately afterwards
for the rest of the day’s agenda items.
Woolley to replace Rodoni, all get pay raises
Rodoni had expressed some relief that this would be their
last meeting with his hand on the gavel. With Smith’s
nomination of Woolley as Chair and Neely as Vice Chair, the
Board voted unanimously for its new leadership team for 2006.
The vote was similarly lopsided in support of ratifying the
previously agreed-to pay raises for Supervisors, whose pay
was already set to increase from $60,688.14 to $69,665.48.
The Board voted 5-0 for a package to retroactively raise their
salary to $71,755.44 as of Nov. 6, with subsequent raises
to $72,472.99 on June 4, $73,922.45 on July 8 and $74,661.67
on July 8, 2007. Supervisors also ratified continuing the
bonus for any who have served continuously for 20 years.
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