You be the judge. Was Mayor Pat McCrory unnecessarily curt, or avoiding a politically sticky situation or just being time-efficient after a long meeting Monday night, when a delegation from the gay/lesbian alliance appeared before Charlotte City Council?
Here’s the background: The council’s 5 p.m. dinner meeting was to be followed by a Citizens Forum, a regular event where the council hears from the public but doesn’t take action or engage in much discussion, though upon occasion a council member will ask questions or make comments. Only one speaker had signed up, a man from Durham.
He turned out to be Joshua Lee Weaver, accompanied by a dozen or so local folks from Charlotte’s gay and lesbian community. He sought the council’s approval of “A Resolution in Support of Civil Marriage for Same-Sex Couples.” (He must have had Charlotte confused with Chapel Hill or something.) With his allotted 4 minutes at the microphone, he asked for their support and read the resolution.
When Weaver finished, Mayor McCrory said quickly: “Thank you very much. This meeting is adjourned.” And council members began packing up. Weaver said something like, “Well, I was hoping for some feedback.” McCrory said he appreciated him being here, but didn’t comment on the substance of the proposal.
Afterward, Weaver said two municipalities had passed the resolution already – Chapel Hill and Carrboro – and Durham was considering it. He said other cities would be asked to pass it but wasn’t sure which he’d approach next.
Observer reporter Julia Oliver asked McCrory after the meeting if he’d put the resolution on the agenda and McCrory said he wouldn’t.
To be fair, McCrory and several council members afterward did go speak to Weaver afterward, and to some in the group accompanying him. I noticed Susan Burgess and Anthony Foxx, and there may have been others. Council member Andy Dulin sent a letter to the Observer today saying he doesn’t support civil unions – “One man, one woman is what I believe” – and noting that none of the seven Democrats at the table said a word to Weaver. He’s right. Of course, the mayor closed the meeting before anyone had time to say a peep.