Live blogging the vote for 2012-296, human rights ordinance.

[CG7]

I wish I had the energy to write all the things I would like to say, but I am sooo sad and depressed right now I don't.
I haven't slept since watching the most embarrassing thing I have ever witnessed. I just honestly hope we all remember this at election time, and can find some indivduals with intelligence, class, and common sense to vote for. Let's fix this abomination that is the City Coucil once and for all.

[tufsu1]

Don't you find it shocking that Jax is the only major city in Florida without this ordinance in place?

not really, as we are consolidated....I highly doubt a bill like this would have passed in Tampa if the city was consolidated with Hillsborough County

on another note....I've seen some folks (especially on the MJ Facebook page) hammering on Jim Love for voting against the bill....fact is he voted down the original bill (as 16 others did too) but first voted in favor of the substitute bill.

Here's the list from the T-U

The council voted 10-9 against a substitute bill that removed some of the controversial provisions in the original bill.

For the substitute: John Crescimbeni, Stephen Joost, Greg Anderson, Lori Boyer, Warren Jones, Jim Love, Bill Bishop, Richard Clark, Denise Lee

Against: Kimberly Daniels, Robin Lumb, Clay Yarborough, Don Redman, Matt Schellenberg, Ray Holt, Doyle Carter, Bill Gulliford, Reggie Brown, Johnny Gaffney


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-08-15/story/jacksonville-council-denies-human-rights-ordinance-expansion#ixzz23iBJKF12

the turncoat here is CM Gaffney

[finehoe]

I know that these well-meaning politicians voted according to their conscience

I doubt that.  More likely these small-minded bigots voted to pander to their equally small-minded constituents.

[Tacachale]

Don't you find it shocking that Jax is the only major city in Florida without this ordinance in place?

not really, as we are consolidated....I highly doubt a bill like this would have passed in Tampa if the city was consolidated with Hillsborough County

on another note....I've seen some folks (especially on the MJ Facebook page) hammering on Jim Love for voting against the bill....fact is he voted down the original bill (as 16 others did too) but first voted in favor of the substitute bill.

Here's the list from the T-U

The council voted 10-9 against a substitute bill that removed some of the controversial provisions in the original bill.

For the substitute: John Crescimbeni, Stephen Joost, Greg Anderson, Lori Boyer, Warren Jones, Jim Love, Bill Bishop, Richard Clark, Denise Lee

Against: Kimberly Daniels, Robin Lumb, Clay Yarborough, Don Redman, Matt Schellenberg, Ray Holt, Doyle Carter, Bill Gulliford, Reggie Brown, Johnny Gaffney


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-08-15/story/jacksonville-council-denies-human-rights-ordinance-expansion#ixzz23iBJKF12

the turncoat here is CM Gaffney

Oh, don't come in here with your lame apologetics implying this isn't a disaster. It is. We're now the only significant city in the state, and one of the few in the country, that doesn't offer these basic protections to the LGBT community. This is a problem for everyone.

[Tacachale]

Stephen, Love is one of the good guys here, as much as any of them besides Warren Jones can be. He was one of the nine who voted for the amended version of the bill.

And Gaffney most certainly is the Judas of the piece. He previously voted for the stronger version of the bill, but last night he voted against the weaker amended version. There is a reason for his flip-flopping. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

[77danj7]

Jacksonville!!!

[Dog Walker]

Hicksonville!  Hateville!

[Cheshire Cat]

Well now, really?

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-08-16/story/jacksonville-councilman-after-human-rights-vote-he-was-confused-voted

[thelakelander]

^You beat me too it.

[CityLife]

That interview really deserves its own thread. Wow.

[vicupstate]

If that interview was televised, it would have sounded a lot like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

[Jimmy]

I hope all my friends in Springfield are paying attention.  Unreal.

[tufsu1]

Oh, don't come in here with your lame apologetics implying this isn't a disaster. It is. We're now the only significant city in the state, and one of the few in the country, that doesn't offer these basic protections to the LGBT community. This is a problem for everyone.

sorry...I was hardly implying that the vote wasn't a disaster...just that it was obvious from early on that the origional bill wasn't going to pass...so the bill was tweaked and folks thought Gaffney was in favor

[tufsu1]

wait...and now we hear that Gaffney was confused?

how can this be when they've been discussing this bill for months!

[cityimrov]

I would say one of the major reasons that this bill failed was because people don't see any value in it.  Remember, Jacksonville is a city that depends on it's natural resources (location, port, land, highways, river) to survive.  If it's not the natural resources, it's the government that pays most the salaries here. 

The community this bill targets is well known for it's creative, artistic, educated, and intellectually driven mindset.  Those are great traits for a creative and knowledge based economy.  These are also great traits for a financial based economy.  This has very little value in Jacksonville.  If there were more creative industries, then the vote would have gone the other way.

The bottom line here is that people in Jacksonville don't see any value in this bill nor for the community this bill protects.  That's why the vote went the way it did. 

The good news is is that the failure of this bill can rally like minded people.  It could be the fuel for an economic boom as more people with similar ideals to move here.  Remember, it was not really long ago when Jacksonville did the same thing with the KKK.  How else do you end up with a brand new school named "Nathan Bedford Forrest High School"?  Jacksonville will still be fine.  Even if this economic boom doesn't happen, it still has it's natural resources it can live off of for a couple more decades.