National Football League

Feed

Author: Marc Silver

Started: June 16, 2006, 4:01:16 pm

Target: take the superbowl out of hillsborough county

Category: Civil & Human Rights

Supporters:

Goal:

300

Goal Progress:

Status

Active

On June 15, 2005 the Board of County Commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of the county enacting a policy banning county agencies from acknowledging Gay Pride events. The county commission knew that if no public forum had been planned it should not have been put to a vote. Then a proposal was placed on the table that only by a super-majority could this ban be overturned. This was also enacted by a 6-1 vote. There were a number of irregularities pursuant to this. Besides the lack of a public meeting prior to this item being on the agenda for June 15th, the County Commission was in recess until July 20, 2005. On the agenda there was the usual time of forty-five minutes for public comment . With the chamber filled to capacity there was a motion made by the only dissenting Commissioner that an additional fifteen minutes be given due to the number of people that had requested to speak. The other members decided to continue on with the agenda as planned. The following is a requests that was slated for the afternoon session; *F-1 Karen McClure, the President of Friends of the Library, respectfully requests that the board reconsider the new policy that Hillsborough County government abstain from acknowledging, promoting, and participating in Gay Pride recognition and events as it relates to libraries. Chairman Norman took it upon himself to sidestep the normal rules of conduct and decided that the commission would take the vote out of order. With a full chamber Commissioner Norman stated that a discussion would preclude the agenda item F1 when he was asked by a citizen prior to everyone leaving the chamber. When the chamber was empty Chairman Norman requested a vote on reconsideration of the ban passed June 15, 2005. The commission voted 6-1 not to reconsider.
There have been a few irregularities and this, being Florida, is not so unusual. The first was that no public meeting was held prior to the first vote on June 15th. Secondly, the failure of the commission to allow an extra fifteen minutes for more speakers to address the commission. Third, and probably the most iniquitous, was that Chairman Norman violated the terms of the charter by proposing to take an agenda item out of turn seemingly just to avoid another discussion. Lastly, the way the board handled this particular matter violated the public trust.
In the days since, the commissioners have had many occasions to either rescind their original vote or revisit it with the opportunity to have a revote. You see, Mr. Tagliabue, the Hillsborough County Commissioners have made it their quest to denounce and minimize a segment of the population that has been part of the fabric of Tampa and Hillsborough County. I understand that no one person can change the minds of people that intend to discriminate, but as a community which also includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFL, we could make a difference by reassigning the 2009 Super Bowl to any other city not located in Hillsborough County.

I beg of you to consider this at the next NFL Board of Directors meeting. I, as well as many other gay and lesbian fans of the Bucâ€™s and other NFL teams, would greatly appreciate any help you could give us. Just as a note; the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners is also on the Board of the Sports Authority, which controls the on goings of Raymond James Stadium.