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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
June 29, 2012 ·
www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com
Toledo passes partner benefits for city workers
by Anthony Glassman
Toledo Two weeks after Mayor Mike Bell vetoed a domestic partner benefit ordinance that would reopen contract negotiations with city firefighters, council passed another version on June 19 that left out that amendment, garnering the mayor's renewed support.
Bell's June 6 veto came with protests from both his office and the city law director that city council does not have the authority
to mandate that the city reopen contract negotiations.
The mayor promptly reintroduced his original legislation, which director of human resources Ellen Grachek estimated would cost at most $410,000 a year, but likely would be far less. The city currently spends around $11,000 per employee for health insurance, for a total of $28,985,000-at their maximum, domestic
partner benefits would add 1.4 percent to the city's benefits budget. However, many city employees in same-sex relationships could already be covered under their partners' insurance policies, as such benefits are increasingly being used as tools to recruit and retain qualified employees.
That is also one of the driving reasons behind Bell introducing the benefits. A growing list of Ohio governments offer them, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincin-
nati, Cleveland Heights, as well as Cuyahoga, Franklin and Lucas counties. Toledo is the seat of Lucas County.
All three Republican members of council, along with independent D. Michael Collins, voted against the benefits.
The council also passed a resolution on June 19 encouraging the mayor to reopen negotiations for the firefighters' contract, since their benefits are paid from the union's health care fund.
CLAW donates a record $55,000 to 17 groups
by Anthony Glassman
Cleveland-The Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend board announced on June 21 that April's 11th annual CLAW festivities raised over $55,000 to be donated to 17 non-profit organizations.
According to treasurer Donn Wolfe, half of that money will go to the eight northeast Ohio organizations on the list, the other half will go to groups further afield, ranging from local to international organizations. The donation to the CLAW Endowment, which ensures that charitable giving would
continue should CLAW cease to be held, is not counted in that total.
Wolfe noted that "$55,000 is $20,000 more than we gave last year, and it's the most we've ever given."
Among the Ohio organizations receiving donations are the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, Camp Sunrise, Cleveland LGBT Pride, the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network of Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland LGBT Center, the MetroHealth Pride Clinic, Prince of Peace
Community Center and Violet's Cupboard. The other organizations include the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund in California; the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities; the Leather Archives and Museum; the Leather Hall of Fame; the Leather Leadership Conference XVII in Seattle, Washington; Mr. Friendly, an HIV awareness campaign; the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom Foundation; the Sharon St. Cyr Fund, which provides hearing aids; and the Tom of Fin-
land Foundation, which preserves and restores artworks.
It is the first year that the Tom of Finland Foundation has received a CLAW donation.
In total, CLAW and its related CLAW Nation events have donated $391,697 as of June 22.
Next year's CLAW 12 will again be hosted by the Hilton Garden Inn from April 25 to 28. Information is at available
www.clawinfo.org.
Ex-boyfriend is held in murder of Akron woman
by Anthony Glassman
New Franklin, Ohio—An Akron woman was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, police say, after years of custody battles over their six-year-old daughter.
Ashley Biggs, 25, disappeared less than an hour after midnight on June 21 while delivering a pizza for her employers, Domino's, in Akron. Biggs' girlfriend, Brittany Dunson, said that the couple were
concerned because of her ex-boyfriend's history of violent behavior. He pleaded guilty to domestic violence in 2005.
Chad Cobb, 30, is being held on a $1.5 million bond in the murder of Biggs, whose body was found in her car in Chippewa Township before noon on June 21. She showed signs of blunt force trauma to her head, and was strangled to death with a zip-
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Biggs was called to a business on West Turkeyfoot Lake Road after midnight on June 21; when she had not returned by 1 am, a missing persons report was put in for her. The address was unrelated to Cobb, but investigators believe that is why the pizza order was called in for there. Police found blood on the ground, and marks indicating that someone was dragged.
Police Chief Dan Davidson of New Franklin told the Akron Beacon-Journal that Cobb was not talking, and that he had "lawyered up.”
He believes the call was used to get Biggs out to the location to attack her. When they learned from Biggs' coworkers that she was involved in a custody dispute with Cobb,
they went to question him, and found him hiding in some woods near a relative's house.
Their daughter lived with Cobb, his wife Erika and his three other children. A custody order was filed in 2007 giving Cobb custody, and things seemed fine until last October, when filings between the two became a regular occurrence. Biggs alleged that Cobb changed his phone number in violation of custody orders, while Cobb alleged that Biggs was trying to alienate his daughter.
Cobb filed a protective order to stop Dunson from seeing the little girl. Neighbors said he opposed Biggs' relationship with Dunson.
The daughter is in the custody of the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services.
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