GAY PEOPLE'S
Chronicle
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Ohio's Newspaper for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com
ERIC RESNICK
Sandra Kurt with Summit County Executive Russell Pry.
Summit Stonewall Democrats founder seeks Akron council seat
by Eric Resnick
Akron-The founder of the Stonewall Democrats of Summit County is seeking a seat on Akron's city council.
Sandra Kurt, an industrial engineer at Goodyear, says she wants more out of life than contributing to a corporation's bottom line, and seeks to take the Ward 8 seat from the man who was appointed over her to fill it in February.
Kurt, who is openly lesbian and a 21-year resident of the ward, is possibly the front runner in the five-way primary race September 8.
University of Akron professor Raymond Cox was appointed to the seat by council to fill the remainder of the term when Bob Keith became the
Clerk of Council.
Kurt and Cox were among 19 who applied.
Kurt's other Democratic opponents are Bruce Bolden, Will Padilla and Marian Shank. The primary winner will square off against Republican Elizabeth Smith on November 3.
Ward 8 is in northwest Akron, including the former homes of rubber company executives. Stan Hywet Hall, once the Seiberling estate, is its most famous attraction.
The ward residents tend to be well educated and influential. It consistently has a high voter turnout and it tends to be politically progressive. Kurt notes that more Ward 8 residents voted against the Ohio marriage ban amendment in 2004 than any other ward in the city.
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Kurt has the backing of Summit County Democratic Party Chair Wayne Jones and Summit County Executive Russell Pry, who used to be the county party chair. Both attended her July 21 fundraiser.
Kurt said it was Pry and Jones who asked her to begin the Stonewall Democrats group. At the time, she was vice chair of the Summit County Progressive Democrats, a precinct committee chair and sat on the party's central committee.
"I always prepared a sample ballot for my precinct and helped people get to the polls to vote," Kurt said, "and [Pry and Jones] know that."
In 2008, they honored Kurt with the first Distinguished Service Award.
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Santiago passed over by gay Democratic group
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Volume 25, Issue 3 July 31, 2009
Speaker vows Sept. vote on equality bill
by Eric Resnick
Columbus-If there's any pressure to delay the Equal Housing and Employment Act, House Speaker Armond Budish of Beachwood says it won't stop him from bringing it to a vote in September.
Budish said the bill will be among the first the House takes up when it reconvenes in September.
"I believe this bill is important," Budish said, "and we have moved it quickly."
The measure, also known as EHEA or H.R. 176, prohibits discrimination by sexual orientation or gender identity in public and private employment, housing and public accommodations. Twenty-one states have similar measures.
EHEA passed the State Government Committee on June 17 and was headed for the House floor, but extended debate over the state budget filled lawmakers' time before the summer re-
cess.
Budish denied reports that there has been pressure from Democratic lawmakers to delay the vote. He also quieted concerns that Democratic strategists in Ohio and Washington, D.C. are concerned that a vote on the bill could weaken Democrats' hold on seats in conservative districts.
There is also concern that in the current economic climate, Democrats could lose the governor's office next year, and may have a hard time keeping the secretary of state's seat being vacated by Jennifer Brunner, who is running for U.S. Senate.
At stake is the composition of the apportionment board, which will draw new legislative districts after the 2010 census. Those districts go a long way to determine who is elected to represent Ohio for the next decade.
Democrats now control two of the three statewide seats on the board the governor and secretary of state-along with Republican auditor Mary Taylor. Losing either seat would return the board to the GOP, which has drawn the districts for the past 20 years.
With Governor Ted Strickland's approval ratings dropping due to the overall economic climate, Democrats are increasingly concerned about losing the secretary of state office.
According to a Democratic strategist who spoke to the Chronicle under condition of anonymity, Rep. Jennifer Garrison of Marietta was asked to get into the secretary of state race because the other Democratic candidate, Franklin County
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Commissioner Marilyn Brown, is believed to be weak.
Brown was recruited by Brunner.
Garrison's relationship with the LGBT community has been rocky. Though she is a committed yes vote for EHEA, she would rather the vote be delayed until after the 2010 election, so her vote on it either way-can't be used against her.
Budish said, "There's pressure on every bill, but no one has said we can't pass it due to fear of losing the apportionment board."
There is, however, another twist the bill is likely to take when it comes up in September.
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is going to try to amend it again, according to Equality Ohio Director Lynne Bowman and the bill's Republican cosponsor, Ross McGregor of Springfield.
Earlier, Chamber lobbyist Tony Fiore said his group has been interested in the bill since 2006, but that interest heightened this year when it became clear that the bill will pass the House and has a chance to pass the Senate.
Fiore testified as an interested party on the bill during a June 10 committee hearing.
The Chamber says that they "do not support workplace harassment or discrimination," and that they are "committed to encouraging fair and consistent employment practices and policies in hiring, training and compensation."
However, their interest in EHEA appears to lie more in Fiore's belief that the bill can be used to pass the Chamber's broader agenda, than a concern for LGBT workers.
Fiore initially proposed seven amendments, including caps on damages paid to employees that are discriminated against, limits on access to Common Pleas Court and a weakened right to sue, and a general weakening of Ohio's administrative process that precedes court actions.
Fiore testified that in order to get the Chamber's support for EHEA, all of these provisions would need to be accepted.
Three of Fiore's changes were included in the final bill before it passed the House State Government Committee.
A deal was struck earlier that the bill would contain Chamber amendments that don't seem to threaten the measure's narrow intent, in exchange for the group's neutral position.
A "neutral" position means the Chamber will neither support nor oppose the measure, nor will votes for or against it appear on their scorecard.
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