Monday, May 23 - Senior President, Matt Hachey, of the Milford Institute of Literature and Film has proposed that The Fairness In Housing and Employment Issue be placed on the inaugural agenda. City manager Matthew Larkey has subsequently noted that there is no parallel legislation in the state. The ordinance would 1) "prohibit in the renting, leasing, or sale of housing any discrimination based on sexual orientation and preference; and that will 2) prohibit in the employment, promotion, or dismissal of any persons by any employer of ten or more persons any discrimination based on sexual orientation or preference" according to the city manager in accordance to the Olde Milford city attorney. This issue was refuted by several of the towns residents, and in fact, financial expert Justin Levine was in disgust, offering no opinion. The tension was visible in the room of discussion, as newly elected council member Satwant Raja Grewal spoke on the issue. Could this bring up a race issue in addition to the discussion of the rights of those who sexually orient themselves differently?
The Scoop observed this as an issue of conspiracy by none other then radical conservative, Rodney Bean. The town council came to the conclusion to pass the ordinance and add the age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, nationality, appearance, race, or ethnic background to the categories of discrimination in this matter. Violation of such would result in a Class III misdemeanor, which calls for a $250 fine per offense. This quick decision raises concern because of the timelessness in which it was made, but only time will tell.
Adam J. Stolz - The Scoop
I was not surprised to see the Fairness in Housing and Employment Issue Ordinance go as so. Our city seems to be overwhelmingly progressive with social issues. I do in fact concur with the decision made by the council to pass this ordinance. Glad to see that these people are keeping us in mind. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteAs a mother of four small children and as a divorcee, I was overwhelmingly appreciative of the Council. They truly took my interest as well as the interest of all Olde Milford citizens' in mind. The reason I support this great community is for its willingness to adapt and incorporate all people. Thank you to the Council-this type of social consideration is why I am a proud member of Olde Milford!
ReplyDeleteI think the council made another good decision today by passing the Fairness in Housing and Employment Act, guaranteeing equal rights to real estate for people of any color, creed, or sexual orientation. There is no reason a citizen should be denied housing due to his or her sexual preference, for example, and to do so would be simply unjust. As the capital city of Florida, Olde Milford has a duty to serve as a model for the rest of the state in terms of civil rights and rejecting discrimination. I also support the fact that the council extended this law to protect racial minorities and people of divorced or widowed marital status (as opposed to simply preventing LGBT discrimination), because ALL law-abiding and tax paying citizens of Olde Milford deserve the right to fair housing!
ReplyDeleteMichael Lee is right--Olde Milford has a long history of being very progressive on social issues, one of the reasons I'm proud to attend the Milford Institute of Literature and Film and hold the position of university mascot (the Cougar). This is a landmark piece of legislation in the state of Florida and I am happy our town council was able to pave the way for equality in Olde Milford. My hope is that other towns in Florida will follow suit and pass similar legislation.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Fairness in Housing and Employment act may have been lengthy, it is excellent to see that all citizens will be treated fairly and equally, or at least according to the law. Citizen's for the most part seemed happy with the decision, even proposing to add age and marital status to the law to ensure that everyone is treated equally.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to see that so many of the citizens of Milford agreeing with our decision on this issue. As everyone has said before, Olde Milford is a quite liberal town and we are very open to all genders, races, ethnicities, etc. I would never want anyone to be discriminated against for one of these reasons, and that is why the Fairness in Housing and Employment Issue was passed. I would like to thenak the whole council for voting unanimously on this.
ReplyDeleteIn this day and age, anyone who denies someone rights based on personal qualities is automatically given nasty looks. I believe that the passing of the Fairness in Housing and Employment Act is a responsible and smart decision. Olde Milford should not have to deal with these shenanigans, as people who deserve housing should obtain it, no matter their skin color or physical appearance.
ReplyDeleteLike Chris said, all people are equal and deserve to be given their human rights, regardless of personal qualities or culture. We don't want discrimination in Olde Milford, and it was best that the council passed this piece of legislation.
ReplyDeleteIs this legislation honestly how we are spending our tax dollars??? Give me a break. How about spreading the wealth to a shelter for single mothers? PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA AND EAT IT.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it was very important for this legislation to pass. As stated earlier, I believe that diversity leads to a strong community. There is no parallel legislation which prohibits and punishes discrimination against any person depending on their gender identity, sexual preference, race, nationality, ethnic background, creed, religious preference, marital status, etc., and to ensure that diverse citizens of Olde Milford stay in Olde Milford without being discriminated against, we had to ensure that they could not be denied employment or housing because of their background. Ultimately, as city manager, I hope that this legislation will help push Olde Milford towards more legislation that will help eradicate all forms of hatred and discrimination from our town.
ReplyDeleteI was very pleased to find out that this piece of legislation passed today. I think that as a progressive, college town it is extremely important for the government of Olde Milford to make sure that housing discrimination does not exist here. I was also very happy with the amendments made to include all types of discrimination in this legislation, as opposed to only sexual orientation. Way to go, city council!
ReplyDeleteI think the muckraking nature of this article detracts from the significant accomplishment we achieved in council today. I am glad many of the citizens agree with city council's decision to amend and subsequently approve this action. As the councilor in charge of this issue, I am pleased to see the public take a genuine interest in the well being of all our minority communities. Equal protection in public industry is an important step in minority rights, and I encourage citizens, myself included to push for parallel reform at the state level.
ReplyDeleteI think it is extremely important that we have voted to ban housing discrimination. The ban enables us to attract a more diverse and probably larger group of people to our town. This could bolster our economy. With this influx of people, there will be a greater need for housing, so the end to discrimination may boost both diversity and economy
ReplyDeleteReducing discrimination in our town is a great accomplishment. As Fire Chief, I have dealt with many issues regarding discrimination. People come to me looking for a job because other towns didn't accept them because they were gay, hispanic, etc. By allowing more people to be welcome to our community, we raise our reputation nation-wide and gain recongnition by congressmen and senators across the US.
ReplyDeleteAs an African minister at the nearby church I believe that our council is making the right decision in this case because no one should be discriminated against ever including when it comes to renting or buying a house. The decision was definitely the right one because I have many black friends who shouldn't be treated any differently because of the color of their skin or if they are Mexican or not who cares! Consequently im quite satisfied and look forward to living another day in Old Milford.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely support Hache's stance on this issue. As the President of the Olde Milford Institute of Literature and Film rightly said, people should not be discriminated on petty differences such as sexual orientation and ethnicity. We should get a popular member of the town, such as the former football player, to talk to our kids about this issue.
ReplyDeleteAs a member of the planning committee I definitely supported the councils decision to pass an ordinance to ban racial and gender discrimination regarding housing and employment. I really admire the public's interest in protecting the rights of minority groups and feel that passing of the ordinance will lead to even more social equality for the future. In no case should citizens ever discriminated for their race or gender.
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