(UPDATED-see below).Nobody likes to be accused of prejudice, least of all lawmakers, as sensitive as they are to their public image.
But if you're not worried about any blowback, why worry?
Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner said during Wednesday's Board meeting that his colleagues had "succumbed to the politics of prejudice," citing their refusal once again to sign a proclamation honoring the GaYBOR Business Coalition and its GaYbor Days celebration, which took place over Memorial Day weekend. But it's hard to know how the other commissioners feel about the accusation since none of them said a word after Beckner made his remark. (Not all were present at the time; only Beckner and his fellow Democrat Les Miller signed the proclamation.)
Saying he can't count how many proclamations board members sign without a problem, Beckner began his address to his colleagues by stating that he had "so much respect for all of my board members."
However, "When individuals and groups make contributions to our community despite our personal beliefs, I really think we should, as a board, have the ability to recognize those individuals. And it's just unfortunate that this particular proclamation, Mr. West, has succumbed to the politics of prejudice."
Mr. West is Carrie West, who leads the GaYBOR coalition and had just presented the proclamation to the commissioners in a non-confrontational way, saying they could still go ahead and sign it.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2012.