May 17, 2002 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Signatures

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if the initial number of signatures falls short before any verification is done.

"If they don't have enough, it will mean that they have not complied with the requirements of the charter," said Gibbon, "and the resolution as passed by council would stand."

Gibbon added that observers won't be permitted to watch the Board of Elections verify the signatures.

Mayor Ed Kelley said there is little chance that the members of council who voted for the ordinance will change their minds if they have to reconsider it.

"We have done the right thing," said Kelley. "And I would be surprised if anyone changed their minds.”

Council member Nancy Dietrich, who sponsored the ordinance, said most members of council have been quiet on the issue so far because, "It is their right to get the petition signatures," and council members do not want to interfere.

But Dietrich said that once it hits the ballot, she expects her colleagues will defend their vote by taking a public stand for the ordinance.

Social values threatened

Business leaders fear that the city may lose more than some health benefits if the referendum is successful.

Business owner Steve Presser says that the referendum and divisions in the community that will result from it threaten the social values of the suburb and could make it less attractive. He owns Big Fun on Coventry Rd., and is building Dottie's Diner on Lee Rd.

Presser, who is not gay, has joined the steering committee of Heights Families for Equality, which was formed to counter the referendum campaign. He testified in favor of the ordinance before City Council on April 15. Presser also served on the city's Visioning Committee, which produced a report this year citing diversity as the top reason why people choose to live in Cleveland Heights.

"This referendum has upset me," said Presser. "I take it personally when someone calls someone else an abomination."

Presser also resents that those waging the referendum campaign are undermining the 6-1 vote in favor of the ordinance by members of council, who were elected by the public.

Cleveland Heights residents often describe their community as having a "social contract." Presser says he defines that as "the people who have chosen to live here value social awareness, and concern for fellow human beings ranks high."

Presser says that domestic partner benefits are a national issue, and he is proud that Cleveland Heights has taken the lead and set an example for other communities to follow.

Ernie Cahoon, a real estate agent who has lived and worked in Cleveland Heights for 16 years, says, "The effect on the community will be psychological."

Cahoon said he does not think a referendum campaign will directly affect property values, but his colleagues believe that the ordinance has been positive.

5 S. Main

"It's icing on the cake," said Cahoon, "It enhances what is already here."

Cahoon said that after the suburban Sun Press newspaper printed his letter supporting the ordinance, he received about 15 calls in agreement from colleagues. "The first one was from the president of Smythe Cramer," which is the agency Cahoon represents.

Presser said the Coventry Businesses Association, which he belongs to, is non-profit and cannot take a stand on political issues. But he expects that other business owners will take individual stands in support of the ordinance.

"We enjoy the diverse group of customers," he said, "and our gay customers are among our strongest and most reliable. What attracts people is the perk of feeling comfortable and welcome, and [the ordinance] is a signal that we are a welcoming community." PACS will be formed

Families First is the committee led by council member Hicks and five other residents to gather the signatures. They have been assisted and advised by Phil Burress of Cincinnati.

Burress leads the anti-gay American Family Association of Ohio and the Cincinnati Citizens for Community Values, which collected the signatures that put Issue 3 on the ballot there in 1994.

Burress' Issue 3 campaign was successful, voiding a 1993 lesbian and gay civil rights ordinance and amending Cincinnati's charter to prohibit any future ones.

Leaders of both the Families First and Heights Families for Equality steering committees have indicated that once the issue hits the ballot, it will clear the way for their groups to form political action committees. Once the PACs are formed, the groups can raise money and conduct their campaigns in accordance with Ohio election laws.

Heights Families for Equality has named Mark Tumeo, Tamara Adrine-Davis, and Kay Heylman as co-chairs, Nancy Thrams its treasurer, and David Wittkowski its fundraising chair. Attorney Karen Schneiderman has been hired as the PAC's administrative coordinator.

By contrast, the five Families First organizers, Tracie Moore, Rev. Cecil Gamble, Bonnie Dolezal, Zoe Tyler and Joseph Grassy, continue to refer all questions about the group's structure and activity to Hicks, who in turn claims it is just a "grassroots group" that can run without him.

Tumeo expects that it will cost $40-50,000 to win the referendum and see the benefits enacted. He also expects that the anti-gay groups from Cincinnati that supported the petition drive will see to it that the repeal attempt is well funded.

"And it's a shame," said Tumeo, "because the campaigns will cost more than years of the benefits, and the city will have to spend another $10,000 of tax dollars to hold the election."

The cost of the benefits to the city has been estimated to be less than $5,000 per year by city administrators.

Presser said he knows that the campaigns could initially be divisive, but he hopes that no long-term ill feelings develop.

But to Burress and the other forces behind the referendum, Presser warns, "This is Cleveland Heights, and you are coming into the lion's den. We have mobilized and we are ready for a cat fight."

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