Alachua Voter Guide

Local politics is about to get nastier in Gainesville. It all began when the City Commissioners ambushed the general public with it’s highly controversial “transgender rights” amendment to the City’s anti-discrimination policies. Without seeking the usual public input they get before putting in a restaurant drive-through lane, Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan and Commissioners Jack Donovan, Jeanna Mastrodicasa, and Craig Lowe insisted that this ordinance had to pass. Since then, a new group has formed to get a binding referendum on the ballot that would let Gainesville voters annul that decision.

Citizens For Good Public Policy, led by former State House candidate Cain Davis, needs 5,581 petition signatures  to get this on the Spring ballot for 2009 City of Gainsville elections. This should not be hard to do, considering the noise that this ordinance raised. But there is a speed bump on the road to their success: intimidation tactics that raise questions about the reputations of the signers. Are they all bigots?Are they guilty of something terrible for wanting a choice?

An eyewitness account of a single petition gatherer being harassed and shouted down and vilified at Fanfare & Fireworks by a group of gay-rights proponents may give would-be signers second thoughts. (If anyone has video of this, please contact me!) Just wanting this item on the ballot is enough to have you labeled as a bigot, a homophobe, or a hate-monger. And since these petitions are a matter of public record, they could be obtained and used for purposes of revenge. One group of pro-gay-rights activists are listing the names and addresses of Florida Marriage Protection Amendment petition signers on a website called KnowThyNeighbor.Org. If there is a purpose for this other than intimidation, I’d like to know what it is. And will there be a similar attempt to smear the signers of the local petition?

I am not the least bit ashamed to say that I signed the petition to repeal the transgender ordinance. I didn’t do it because I hate gay or transgender people. I did it because it’s the only way to force the city commissioners to do what they should have done to begin with: have a full and complete discussion with their constituents about the problem and how to solve it instead of just calling us names. Accusing people of good will of hatred in order to get your way is bad policy, and it should cost you an election.

If this issue makes it to the ballot, Jeanna Mastrodicasa will be facing an opponent who will be the beneficiary of the larger-than-usual turnout that it will surely generate. She has already opened her campaign account for the 2009 race. So far, she has no opponent.