BUCKHANNON — On Thursday, Mayor David McCauley presented the LGBT Ordinance before the Buckhannon City Council. After four hours of public comment, the final vote tally resulted in 4 opposed and 3 in favor. This defeated McCauley’s proposal upon first reading.
In the minority, Mayor David McCauley, Councilman CJ Rylands, and Councilwoman Mary Albaugh voted in support of the ordinance.
In the majority, Councilman Robbie Skinner, City Recorder Colin Reger, Councilwoman Pam Cuppari, and Councilman David Thomas voted in opposition of the ordinance.
Nearly a dozen Pastors representing, all major churches in Buckhannon, attended the meeting openly expressing their opposition to the ordinance. Their attendance represented thousands of Christian congregants within the community, ultimately resulting in the defeat of the LGBT “anti-Christian” ordinance.
Councilman Robbie Skinner, who recently lost a beloved family member, began the discussion.
“When I ran for city council, I vowed to every person I went door to door to that I would always do what is best for our community. I’ve worked hard to ensure that I’ve kept that mindset at the forefront of every decision. Sometimes it goes against my personal feelings. If I was being personal tonight, I would be with my family. But I’m here, because this is important. Buckhannon isn’t about me, it is about all of us, and I love this place dearly. This is my hometown. I was born here at St. Joseph’s Hospital. I graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School, and I’m very proud of that. I’ve also graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan and I’ve chosen to make my business and my career, my business, my happiness, and my life here.”
“I can’t support an ordinance that I see as a mechanism to tear us apart,” Skinner expressed. “This is a no-win situation, and it’s a proposal that should have never been placed on the agenda for consideration,” Skinner expressed. “I in no way, shape or form support any act of discrimination toward any member of the human race, period. I do, however, fundamentally disagree with a municipal governing body passing social legislation onto its citizens and businesses. That is wrong.”
“I believe change happens when we lead by example and by our actions, not by the words on paper,” he added. “We do not need an ordinance to tell us to be kind, to be heartfelt, to be compassionate, to be understanding, to be loving or to be understanding.”
City Recorder Colin Reger expressed his reservations about the ordinance.
“Mayor McCauley has said on multiple occasions – and he will probably say tonight – that he views human sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity to be on par with race,” Reger continued. “If that is your viewpoint, then this thing needs to pass. However, this council does not have the right to impose that understanding of the apparent equality of human sexuality and race upon the vast majority of the residents of this city.”
“9 out of 10 people that I have talked to have voiced opposition to this ordinance.”
Reger also found it problematic that the law did not provide any exemptions for pastors, who perform weddings “who may or may not agree with these understandings.”
Councilman David Thomas expressed his opposition to the ordinance being made available to the council members within less than 24 hours of the first reading, and the verbage in the ordinance itself.
“I don’t like this process that we did,” he said. “The ordinance was not finalized until late yesterday, that’s my understanding. I read it for the first time today. Based on what I read today, I will vote against it.”
“We need to be transparent. I don’t think you can put something on paper and that’s how you’re going to be friendly and open and so forth,” he said. “You do it by your actions, by what you do for the community.”
Councilwoman Pam Cuppari expressed her opposition to the ordinance, expressing that it would violate the rights entitled to the citizens of Buckhannon.
“I have friends and relatives in the LGBTQ community; I’m not against anybody,” she stated. “My problem is, I’ve been in business for years, and I feel as a taxpayer and a businessperson, I should have the right to not perform a service for a person because I see a lot of stuff with people coming in and giving me really big problems, and I feel that I should have that right to turn them away or say no. And I also believe this is going to open up a can of worms if we pass this.”
Councilwoman Mary Albaugh, who later admitted that the ordinance “judges people,” expressed that she supports the ordinance because she does not want to judge people.
“I’m not the person to judge anybody – none of you are,” Albaugh said. “We’re here to run a city the best way we can possible, and to do that we have to be more open, we have to be more caring … we have to welcome to people to come in within our community. That’s how we grow. I believe that what we’re doing here is right.”
Councilman CJ Rylands expressed his support for the ordinance on the basis of creating government mandated diversity.
“If you look around the country, and you find places that are following a path of ascension, there’s a much greater element of diversity,” Rylands expressed, “and I think it’s important that people of different persuasions and orientations feel that they’re welcome in our community, and I support this.”
The Mayor then directed personal attacks at councilman Skinner, following making hostile remarks toward Councilwoman Pam Cuppari.
“Mr. Skinner,” the mayor said, “I’m not in the same position as Dave Thomas. I take offense to your comments and suggestions that we have created this divisive thing. First off, this was not my initiative to create this. There were members of our community, primarily people of alternative orientations, who sought out the assistance of Fairness West Virginia.”
“They asked for this matter to be considered,” he expressed. “It has nothing to do with creating an unnecessary divisive thing. All we’re doing with this ordinance is attempting to extend the protections to people of other orientations. They would enjoy the same rights as people of color, ethnicity, age, handicap, religion, that’s all that this ordinance is intended to do is level the playing field to make it equally inviting for everyone to live here.”
By this, Mayor McCauley created the assumption that Buckhannon is not currently inviting to everyone, insulting the entire town and the people who live in it.
Public comment against the ordinance was clearly in the majority, not only in the community but also at the meeting. The ordinance failed passage 4-3.
This is absolutely ridiculous, and wrong. Nothing more than discrimination against Christian organizations. The mayor should be ashamed of himself for introducing this. Thank goodness our founding fathers had vision to protect us from this sort of thing. Why is it that everyone has a right to do “whatever” unless they are Christian ? I also was born at St Joseph’s Hospital and grew up in Buckhannon. I still consider it home. I also own a small business, how is it that the mayor thinks it’s ok to dictate laws that would bypass our Constitution ? What a small minded individual he must be. Let’s turn the tables just for conversation sake. What if a gay business owner was offended by the fact that I’m a Christian and refused to sell me something I needed or wanted ? Would the mayor introduce this same legislation to force him to do business with me ? I would hope not. But think on this for a second please, if the man didn’t want to do business with me I would just go elsewhere to spend my money instead of falling down crying foul. I can promise you that I don’t “judge” anyone. But I would expect the same courtesy in return. Friends this is a slippery slope we are navigating here. This would cause nothing but division and is offensive to this or any other community.
“ALL” are welcome is enough. No ordinance is needed to welcome white, prople of color, etc . I agree with the council.