Comments on: Down to the wire for Fenty, Gray

By: WGAY podcast: Sept. 13 : Washington Blade – LGBTQ News

WGAY podcast: Sept. 13 : Washington Blade – LGBTQ News — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:55:18 +0000

[...] This week’s WGAY podcast covers Lou Chibbaro Jr.’s article “Down to the wire for Fenty, Gray.” [...]

By: Mike Panetta

Mike Panetta — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 01:56:14 +0000

Also, slight correction above – I got the Stein Club endorsement in 2006, and 2008. I was first elected in 2006.

By: Mike Panetta

Mike Panetta — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 01:54:57 +0000

I’d ask that people consider me when the vote for “Shadow” U.S. Representative. I’ve been actually working instead of talking. I was on the Hill countering the efforts of Bob King when he was trying to get Congress to interfere and overturn our locally-enacted same sex marriage bill. I was quoted as saying at the time in DCist:

”Commissioner King’s lobbying of Congress to stop the same-sex marriage bill from becoming law seriously undermines the District’s efforts for greater autonomy and expanded home rule. By taking this fight to Congress not only is he re-enforcing our ‘second-class citizen’ status, he is actively embracing it. His efforts will only embolden members of Congress to expand their meddling in our municipal affairs. Frankly, I expected better from an elected District official.”

As for the Stein Club endorsement, let’s just say I didn’t buy it, unlike some other people :)

Thanks,
Mike Panetta

By: Ms. RAH

Ms. RAH — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 21:10:23 +0000

I’ve already voted for Vincent Gray. Our current Mayor has demonstrated a commitment to a certain segment of DC. Yes me and my wife are educated, happy, prospering, and home owner residents of the District. But I’d like to see a demonstrated commitment to all persons in the District including the disadvantaged and unemployed residents of our city. There are disadvantaged and unemployed lgbt people in our city too, under our current mayor how might they have new and improved opportunities for a change in life circumstance? Yes we can get married now, but what of other human rights such as eating and sleeping in a warm place at night? Where are the vocational school opportunities for youth who are not college bound? How will elder lgbt persons fair in our city in the current programs for the aged? Over all while Fenty has improved infrastructure for getting to city services, (ie 311 call center) in my opinion he has gutted resources for essential services in the case of abused and neglected children & youth in our city, and the for the homeless. While personality is not the only factor here, it would help if we had a Mayor that had a skill set that included listening and demonstrating care and compassion for the people he was elected to serve. I don’t care about old guards and new guards. I care about having someone who can move our city toward a civil dialogue about solutions that include persons who care about dog parks and the environment like me, and persons who also care about poverty and educational opportunities for the disadvantaged like me. May we survive the outcome on Tuesday as one city, with truth and justice for all.

By: Trulee Pist

Trulee Pist — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:16:29 +0000

I see you censored my comment. I win! You lose. What’s with the false charges against Kelvin Robinson–lies you tell that are so easily refuted by video tapes of the Ward 6 Councilmember forums? Why are you afraid to let LGBTQ readers see the refutation and decide for themselves.

Weak, very weak.

By: Mistr Knucklz

Mistr Knucklz — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 15:16:30 +0000

Gray is a retread from the failed administration of Sharon Pratt Kelly. Electing him will be a giant step backward for the city, as it will be a return of the old guard from Wards 7 and 8. Fenty has a vision for transforming Washington into a world-class city. He is supportive of LGBT issues. He deserves four more years.

By: Trulee Pist

Trulee Pist — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 01:41:56 +0000

Mr. Summersgill, why in the world would you say, “It is likely Robinson doesn’t understand the law”? Given his background and current support for the law, I suspect he is better informed and more well-versed on this topic than you are.

As you well know, Robinson has been very clear and easy to understand in expressing his position. As Vice Chair of Catholic Charities, he urged the organization to follow the lead of SF Catholic Charities and insure both the employee and one more adult in the household. The organization, to its discredit, failed to follow his recommendation.

Then he went to DC City Council and sought to incorporate language that would insure Catholic Charities would continue to do what it has done in Washington, D.C. for over 80 years, providing help to the poorest and hope to those whose circumstances put them almost beyond hope.

(His opponent, Tommy Wells, kicked the executive staff of a homeless organization out of the building it has been renting for 18 years, in order to give the building and property worth millions of dollars for free to an organization that accepted this ridiculously generous gift of public property (plus $8 million in Federal and DC taxpayer funds! on top of the land and building give-away!), to a developer who refused to accept the gift unless the staff of professionals who run the organization, a homeless organization, are first themselves kicked to the curb.

Robinson cares about providing services to those most in need of help. Wells has been 100% on LGBT issues, but kicked the homeless organization out of its offices because some new organization refused to share the grounds with an organization that helps the homeless.

Some people have one litmus test. I have a different one. Has Wells really earned the support of everyone in Ward 6, or just the developers?

By: C-dog

C-dog — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 04:05:32 +0000

With patholigical personalities like Peter Nickles and Michelle Rhee on board, there is no way I can support Fenty. His entire team is politically tone deaf, arrogant, childish, corrupt and mean spirited. They have no place in city government. Also, not everyone lives in Northwest and does not view dog parks and bike lanes as important government priorities when budgets are being slashed and thousands of people are getting laid off and people with AIDS can’t get the medicines they need. Gray has a background in helping the disadvantaged (he ran an organization for the mentally retarded). I think he will be more sensitive to the rest of DC that doesn’t live in Whole Foods and writes blogs for a living.

By: Lane Hudson

Lane Hudson — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:33:31 +0000

What Rick said!

By: JP

JP — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:28:32 +0000

I am voting Fenty because I am satisfied with his performance regarding LGBT issues. The factor that has most significantly influenced my decision is that Michelle Rhee has my full support. She is a fierce advocate for GLBT young people and their families in DC. I have seen her speak on matters of bullying, inclusion, and diversity and I have heard her describe examples of training and intervention. She does not see a place for homophobic, intolerant, students, teachers and staff in our schools. Our LGBT youth and their allies, and their teachers and parents, need Michelle Rhee to make sure that queer youth and their friends have a safe environment in which to learn in DC and that GLBT teachers and staff in the school system have a safe environment to work in DC.