Jim Love: Why I'm Running for City Council District 14

[ChriswUfGator]

Love did vote for the substitute and is supportive.  I suggested you meet with him--why not do that? 

It's not that simple. Not to speak above my pay grade (I'm just an outside observer I had no involvement with the HRO), but the substitute bill appeared to be a rather obvious political strategy designed to ensure the actual bill didn't pass, while providing the side benefit of allowing council members to avoid voting against the concept. They're aware, as is anyone with a TV or a newspaper, that the gay rights thing is starting to get viewed in the public consciousness as modern day racism, and I don't think anybody wants to get caught on the wrong side of history. This is why hilarity ensued during the voting, you had Gaffney claiming he forgot what he was voting on, Robin Lumb claiming he was worried about the impact on businesses after he'd spent several days' worth of public meetings listening to half the businesses in town, including all of the largest ones, telling him that they wanted it to pass, etc.

Jim Love is hardly blameless, the substitute ordinance he supported stripped out the meaningful provisions of the original, and was tailor-made to ensure nobody on either side would be happy, with the inevitable result that neither would pass. The only possible outcome was that it would fracture support, and it did. While I was born at night, it doesn't happen to be last night. I am hardly alone in that regard.

As free advice from one of his constituents, he should hold a public meeting. His conduct regarding the HRO pissed off more people than he probably realizes. Which still doesn't hold a candle to Lumb, whose conduct, including accepting on-stage accolades from FBC for voting against the HRO, is not explainable to many people. In his case, people seem to be pissed off with a capital P instead of a lower case p. Speaking personally, I think accepting public awards from right-wing religious institutions that aren't even located in your district, for having voted against the wishes of your actual constituents, is really rather problematic. I view this as a character issue. Jim Love played the same game, or at least by all appearances he did. If that's truly not the case, then he should hold a public meeting and clarify his position.

[Stephen]

Is Lumb running ? If he is I'll make sure to vote against him and Love...No Lumb Love has a nice ring to it

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

Is Lumb running ? If he is I'll make sure to vote against him and Love...No Lumb Love has a nice ring to it

No Lumb Love  --- Now that's a bumper sticker.

[Stephen]

I'd love to find a way to tie it in with the Human Rights Ordinance....Anything to stop Love from winning.

[Stephen]

so NO for Lumb and Love...No No