GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE September 26, 1997

EDITORIAL

Vote in the Cleveland primary Sept. 30

Most gay and lesbian Clevelanders, if they were asked, would say they consider themselves politically astute. But how many of those same people could honestly say that they voted in the last primary election?

Voting in the Sept. 30 primary serves a very important purpose for gay and lesbian voters. First, it gives us the opportunity to send the best possible representative to the general election in November, and second, it lets us thank those that have stood with us in the past, as members of council.

We are not attempting here to cover all of the council ward races, just those few where a solid candidate that has shown a willingness to work with the gay community is facing formidable opposition, or where there is a gay-friendly incumbent that we want to make sure to keep.

We are particularly targeting Cleveland wards with a sizable gay and lesbian population. Not enough information is available from candidates for the three at-large Lakewood council seats for us to make recommendations in the primary there, which is also Sept 30.

In Ward 8, Glenville, the Gay People's Chronicle endorses incumbent Bill Patmon.

Patmon was instrumental in expanding the city's employment protections by making job discrimination a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by a minimum of three months imprisonment or a $1,000 fine or both. Gays and lesbians were included in the language of the amendment he drafted.

At the time, Patmon credited Ward 17 council member Tim Melena with making sure that sexual orientation was covered by the ordinance. When several area ministers from predominately African-American churches went to city hall to protest the job ordinance because it included gays and lesbians, Patmon-who is also African-American-stood firm. He said there was "no way" he would agree to remove the language regarding sexual orientation.

In addition to Melena's involvement in the above-mentioned ordinance, he was a friendly face along Clifton Avenue during a series of break-ins this past August that involved several gay-owned businesses. Dana Boucher of the gay-owned Truffles Pastry Shop, a store that was hit twice, said Melena showed up with all the paperwork they needed to file a police report before they even called him.

Melena's Ward 17 includes Clifton, extends as far west as W. 117th St. and as far east as West 45th, south to Denison.

In Ward 18, to the west and south of 17, the gay community has had a long-time ally in Jay Westbrook. Not only does he represent

a ward with a sizable percentage of gays and lesbians, but as president of council, he has presided over the most gay-friendly council the city has ever had.

Westbrook has been consistently supportive of our issues, has been a familiar face at Pride events and the annual AIDS Walk, and has supported Mayor Michael White in his recent decision to appoint a liaison from the city to the gay and lesbian community.

For these reasons, it is our recommendation that gay and lesbian voters return these three competent men to Cleveland City Council.

Another incumbent that the Chronicle encourages voters to return to council is Ward 15's Merle Gordon. She has been a worthy successor of Jim Rokakis, who, prior to becoming Cuyahoga County treasurer, was always supportive of the gay and lesbian community as a council member. Having been his assistant for three years, Gordon has more than adequately followed in Rokakis' footsteps.

Ward 15 includes the Archwood-Denison neighborhood, now known as "Brooklyn Center," and part of Old Brooklyn to the south. Gordon recently appointed Chronicle publisher Martha Pontoni to the BrooklynBrighton Community Development Corporation. Return Gordon to council where she will continue to represent the ward's growing gay and lesbian population.

Ward 13 is the largest ward in the city of Cleveland, covering the Tremont area north to the lake, south to Clark Ave., east to Broadway and E. 55th St. and part of Slavic Village, and all of downtown including the Warehouse District, which is home to several gay-owned establishments.

There are seven people running for the council seat, and of those seven, only one personally called the Chronicle to discuss his willingness to work with the gay and lesbian community if elected. That candidate is Joe Cimperman, who was recently endorsed by both the Plain Dealer and the Sun newspapers. Add the Gay People's Chronicle to that list, as it is imperative that we have a council member from that ward who is willing to come to the table with us and listen to

our concerns.

The most hotly contested race is perhaps Ward 14, which covers a large part of Ohio City from West 25th to West 56th, south to Clark-Fulton and north to the lake. The incumbent is Helen K. Smith, who is running for mayor of Cleveland. Roughly 15% of the people in Ward 14 are Hispanic, and there has never been a Hispanic member of Cleveland city council. We think it's about time that changed.

Our endorsement in Ward 14 goes to Angel Guzman, who is currently the executive director of the Hispanic Business and Community Development Corporation. From the beginning of his campaign, Guzman has reached out to the gay and lesbian community, visiting gay-owned businesses, talking with gay and lesbian community leaders, and holding a meet-the-candidate night at Harmony Bar and Grill, a lesbian-owned business. He has been endorsed by Sun newspapers, Mary Rose Oakar, State Senator Pat Sweeney, the Service Employees International Union, and a long list of Hispanic community leaders and business owners.

A vote for Angel Guzman will finally put a Hispanic person in city council, as well as someone who has shown a commitment to the diversity that makes up Ward 14.

Time is running out to register to vote in the November general election. The cut-off date is Monday, October 6 at 9:00 p.m. You can register to vote at your local library, city hall, certain high schools, and the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, at 2925 Euclid Ave. Call the Board of Elections at 216443-3200 for more information about where to register in your area.

Make sure to vote in the primary on Tuesday, September 30.

The Chronicle will also be keeping an eye on two candidates in other parts of the state: Louis Escobar in Toledo and Mary Wiseman in Dayton.

If either wins, they would become the first openly gay elected official in Ohio.

Escobar, who is running for a seat on the Toledo city council, won enough votes in the September 9 primary election to appear on the November 4 ballot. A former priest, Escobar has been a health educator for the Toledo Area AIDS Task Force, and was a cofounder of the group now known as Gays and Lesbians United.

Wiseman, who is running for Dayton city commissioner, finished a strong third in the May 6 primary, securing a place on the November ballot. She is endorsed by the local Democratic party, and succeeded in the primary despite an anonymous flyer that was distributed to the media and around neighborhoods that attacked her for being a lesbian and for having “a radical gay agenda."

After winning in the primary, Wiseman told the Chronicle, “I am delighted that the people of Dayton showed at the polls that they don't like mean political tactics, and they will support candidates who have good ideas." ✓

COMMUNITY FORUM

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Volume 13, Issue 7

THE BAY PEOPLE'S

KWIR

A DECADE

Published by

KWIR Publications, Inc.

ISSN 1070-177X

Publisher: Business Manager: Managing Editor: Associate Editor: Senior Staff Writer: Reporters & Writers:

Martha J. Pontoni Patti Harris

Doreen Cudnik

Brian De Witt Dawn Leach

John Graves,

Nels P. Highberg, Eric W. Hunter, Kaizaad Kotwal, M.T. Martone

Art Director: Production Assistant: Photographers:

Advertising Manager: National Advertising:

Christine Hahn Lynn Williamson LeeAnn McGuire, J.R. Hauter

David A. Ebbert Rivendell Marketing 212-242-6863 David A. Ebbert 800-426-5947

The Gay People's Chronicle is dedicated to providing a space in the Ohio lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community for all of its members to communicate and be involved with cach other. This means that every Chronicle, to the best of its ability, will be equally dedicated to both men's and women's issues, as well as issues that affect the entire community. This balance will provide lesbians and gay men with a forum to air grievances and express joys.

The Gay People's Chronicle is copyrighted under federal law. Any reproduction of its contents is prohibited unless permission is obtained.

Any material submitted for publication will be subject to cditing. The Chronicle cannot guarantee return of any such materials unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

The Gay People's Chronicle is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. We reserve the right to reject advertising which is unsuitable for our publication.

P.O. Box 5426 Cleveland, OH 44101 216-631-8646

Fax: 216-631-1052

Toll Free: 800-426-5947 E-mail: chronicle@chronohio.com

Next Chronicle comes out Friday, October 10

The Gay People's Chronicle is published every other Friday, except the first issues in January and June. Display ad and article deadlines are 10 to 12 days prior to publication. Call for specific dates. Calendar, Classified, and Personal deadlines are earlier, and are shown in each of those sections. Advertisers:

Call, fax, or write for rate sheets and information, to the numbers in the masthead above. Subscriptions:

Subscriptions are 13 issues for $15.00, and 25 issues (1 year) for $30.00, sent in a plain envelope. (For faster first-class delivery, add $6.50 for 13 issues, 12.50 for 25 issues to cover extra postage.) Mail check or money order with your address to/ the Chronicle, P.O. Box 5426, Cleveland 44101.

Obituaries

Obituaries, written by spouses, family, or friends, may be placed in the Chronicle free of charge. They can be sent by mail or fax (see above for address); but we can't take information over the phone. Include your name and phone, so we may contact you. A photo can be included; please send a selfaddressed stamped envelope if you want it returned.

Not limited to gays

To the Editors:

A recent edition of the Gay People's Chronicle featured an interview with Andy Scahill, recipient of the first P-FLAG Columbus scholarship, which was established for students of Ohio State University. PFLAG Columbus is very proud to have awarded the $1,200 scholarship to Mr. Scahill, whom we feel has set an outstanding ex-

ample through his service to the GLBT community.

Two points in the article must be clarified. First, the scholarship, which is administered by OSU, was established and funded solely by P-FLAG Columbus, and not by the national organization. P-FLAG Columbus worked diligently with OSU for many months to set up to scholarship, and a portion of the proceeds from a fundraiser in February 1997 was set aside exclusively for the project. As

She's out there... You just have to go find her!

Start looking in the Gay People's Chronicle Personals.

Someone for everyone starting on page 23.

it is an annual scholarship, P-FLAG Columbus raised funds not only to cover the first year, but the next four years as well.

Second, the scholarship is in no way “earmarked for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals," as the article stated. Rather, the scholarship is available to any currently enrolled OSU student with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 (2.0 for returning freshmen) who has demonstrated a commitment to the goals of P-FLAG. PFLAG is a national organization providing support, education and advocacy on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, and their families and friends.

At no point during the scholarship application process is the student's sexual orientation disclosed unless he or she volunteers the information in the requested biography. In any case, the student's sexual orientation is not considered in the selection process. This is especially important as it is the policy of OSU not to discriminate with regards to sexual orientation in the provision of educational opportunities and P-FLAG Columbus supports the university in this measure.

P-FLAG Columbus wishes to encourage OSU students who are interested in the scholarship for the 1998-99 academic years to contact the Office of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students Services. The deadline for applications will be January 30, 1998. Eric Kohring P-FLAG Columbus

The Chronicle regrets the error. -Editors.

Community Forum

The Chronicle encourages everyone to write and express your opinion about the community or the paper. Please, however, keep letters constructive, and avoid namecalling and personal attacks. Please be brief. We reserve the right to edit letters. We will print your name unless you specifically ask us not to.

Letters must include a street address

and phone, for verification only. They can be sent via U.S. mail, or fax to the addresses in the masthead above, or by Email to letters@chronohio.com