Arlington Mayor Jim Ross speaks to residents during an Arlington City Council meeting Nov. 18 at the Arlington City Council Chamber. Ross proposed moving to continue the vote so all council members would be heard.
The Arlington City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to continue the first reading to amend the suspended antidiscrimination chapter of the city code at the Dec. 9 city council meeting.
The amendment to the city’s code would delete mention of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression as protected characteristics from the original document.
Arlington resident Peter Ricca, 58, addresses council members during an Arlington City Council meeting Nov. 18 at the Arlington City Council Chamber. Ricca said the changes to the ordinance were unconstitutional.
Council member Barbara Odom-Wesley, whose father, former Mayor Elzie Odom, died Monday, was the only council member not present at the meeting.
Before calling for a vote to continue the first reading, Mayor Jim Ross took a moment to address residents, saying recent directives from the federal and state governments have prompted comprehensive evaluations of Arlington’s ordinances.
“Evaluations are not merely procedural,” Ross said. “They are critical to ensuring that Arlington remains eligible for vital grant funding and avoids potential liability.”
An attendee crumbles the agenda while listening to a council member’s speech during an Arlington City Council meeting Nov. 18 at the Arlington City Council Chamber. Several community members spoke out against passing the amendments to the ordinance.
Council member Andrew Piel also spoke before the vote, talking about what the ordinance does.
Piel said the ordinance only allows the city to mediate discrimination complaints; it does not create or remove legal procedures, as that comes from state and federal law.
“That being said, I support putting the ordinance back,” he said.
Arlington resident Bridgette Brady, 51, speaks to council members during an Arlington City Council meeting Nov. 18 at the Arlington City Council Chamber. Brady, a registered nurse in Arlington for the last 20 years, spoke against the amendments to the antidiscrimination ordinance.
One community member, as well as an attorney, spoke in support of the possible amendment to the ordinance, while several community members spoke against the amendments.
Arlington resident Claire Skierski, 53, said she didn’t know about the ordinance until she received a message about it. Skierski said she was glad the council was continuing to discuss the vote and said she hopes it allows them to listen to more people.
Arlington resident Cyndi Cullum, 74, said she came out to her first council meeting in about 20 years because of the topic.
Arlington residents speak to council members during an Arlington City Council meeting Nov. 18 at the Arlington City Council Chamber. The Arlington City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to continue the first reading to amend the suspended antidiscrimination chapter of the city code, which would remove various LGBTQ+ protections, to the Dec. 9 meeting.
“I really think it’s important that all our citizens are protected, no matter who they are, where they come from, even if they’re going to school here or just working here short time, or living here and trying to raise a family, it’s important,” Cullum said.
The ordinance, if amended, will continue to prohibit forms of discrimination in employment and public accommodations based on race, color, national origin, age, religion, sex or disability, according to the updated ordinance.
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