Just one week after commissioner Bill James’ controversial remark, the board of commissioners plans to consider a resolution that, among other things, opposes inflammatory speech or discrimination because of sexual orientation, reports the Charlotte Observer:
The proposed resolution was drafted by Commissioner Harold Cogdell, a Democrat, who said he hoped to change the public’s perception of Mecklenburg County after James’ comments.
“I felt that the image of our community was being impacted in a way that did not reflect the core values of what Charlotte-Mecklenburg is really about,” Cogdell said.
Last week, it was revealed that James referred to gays as “sexual predators” in an e-mail to fellow Mecklenburg County Commissioners when colleague Jennifer Roberts requested commissioners sign a “thank you” note to the state’s Washington D.C. congressional delegation who had voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
And in an article titled “Red Phone” posted on his website, James writes that all across America, homosexuals are “preying on men at the Y(MCA).”
James, a Republican, said he believes Democrats on the county board are pandering to “homosexual activists,” whom he said have called for him to be censured. A petition on Change.org has called for commissioners to censure James.
“It’s like having a resolution saying we’re going to be uber-sensitive to prostitutes and pedophiles because we don’t want them to get mad,” James said.
Roberts said she believes the resolution is less about James and more about treating other board members and people in the public with respect.
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