Taking steps to distance itself from the N.C. General Assembly, the Chapel Hill Town Council passed a resolution in opposition of the Defense of Marriage bill at its first meeting of the Fall term Monday Night.
Council Member Penny Rich partnered with Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, who could not attend the meeting, and spoke out against the bill, which would ban any form of gay marriage.
Kleinschmidt drafted a personal letter to the General Assembly last week urging legislators to vote against the bill. The council’s petition, which assepd unanimously, will be sent alongside Kleinschmidt’s letter.
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the Durham City Council have also passed similar resolutions against the proposed state constitutional amendment.
Residents also showed support for the resolution, praising the council for protecting the civil liberties of its constituents and encouraging others to protest the bill if they have not done so already.
Notable:
- Many swimmers in the community showed up to protest the town’s recent decision to reduce the Community Center’s Indoor Pool hours due to budget cuts. The health benefits swimming provides to the elderly and the lack of handicapped accessibility at the Homestead Aquatic Center persuaded the council to take a second look at the resolution.
- A discussion to ban cell phone use while operating vehicles within town limits sparked a heated debate. Residents shared concerns that such a law would be unenforceable, especially on the state-owned roads within the town. Others argued that the danger of distracted driving poses as much of a threat as drunk driving and should be regulated just as heavily. The ban will return to the council for further discussion later this term.
Quotable:
“Since it seems like the ordinance will inevitably be challenged, (I) don’t want to spend taxpayer money just to get to that point.” — Council member Matt Czajkowski on the proposed cell phone ban.
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