Burnt Orange Report

Clarification on City Council Stuff

By Andrew Dobbs

The other day on the post about Danny Thomas' position on Prop 2, I left a comment going against a couple of people who suggested that his support for this Proposition (which I, of course, oppose) should disqualify him for the City Council or Mayor in the future. Here's part of what I said:

Second, I wasn't aware of his desiring to run for Mayor, but I don't understand why this should be a litmus test for Mayor or City Council. They don't have the power to decide these things anyways, so its not like gay rights are doomed with him up there. He's good on environmental, public safety and economic development issues. He is one of the most consistently liberal voices on city council. He is also an evangelical pastor, which means that on a handful of issues he'll probably come down on a different side as everyone else. One bad issue does not a bad councilman make.

In other words, which would you rather have: a George W. Bush/Tom Craddick type with a pro-gay marriage stance or a Paul Wellstone type with an anti-gay marriage stance? Before you answer that question, remember that Wellstone voted FOR the Defense of Marriage Act and was generally more conservative on this issue than others. This is one issue, and it should not be a litmus test. Danny Thomas has been a wonderful city councilman, and this issue notwithstanding its a shame he won't be on our council any more.

Today I got an email from a dear friend of mine who works closely with Mayor Will Wynn and he thought that the "George W. Bush/Tom Craddick type" who supports gay rights referenced in my post might refer to the mayor. I want to make it clear that it DOES NOT. Mayor Wynn is a great leader, and has shown tremendous leadership. There are some things I disagree with him about, but he has my full support.

I was simply referring to a theoretical situation. If you had a hypothetical right wing jerk who just happened to have a decent position on gay rights (like maybe Barry Goldwater) versus a good liberal who happens to have a not-so-great position on the issue (like Danny Thomas or Paul Wellstone), who would you choose? Perhaps if it was for the US Senate or something in that regard you could reasonably make this one issue a litmus test. But what about for the City Council, where issues of development are much more pertinent and gay rights aren't a big issue on the docket? I was simply saying that we should not yank the plug on Danny Thomas because of one bad issue.

On that same note, I support Mayor Wynn and am proud that the mayor of my city stands against a hateful amendment like Prop 2. Don't want to confuse anybody, and sorry if I caused any bad feelings.