On March 12, 2015, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council ("PBCHRC")
sent out a post election update to Palm Beach County LGBT and allied
supporters. To view the full text of the update, click here.
One of the sixteen paragraphs in the update read as follows:
Shortly after the update was sent, we were challenged to substantiate our claim that Equality Florida ("EQFL" ) again made "unwanted interventions" into Palm Beach County LGBT politics by recommending two candidates for office in West Palm Beach who were not endorsed by the PBCHRC Voters Alliance. Here is our response:
2. The City of West Palm Beach was the first public employer in Florida to offer domestic partnership benefits.
3. Palm Beach County was the first public employer in Florida to provide legal recourse to gay and lesbian county employees who felt they were discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation.
4. Between January 16, 1990 (when the Palm Beach County Fair Housing Ordinance was amended to include "sexual orientation") through March 2, 2015 (when the City of Boynton Beach enacted an LGBT-inclusive Civil Rights Ordinance), ninety-two LGBT- supportive laws and policies have been enacted in Palm Beach County. For a full list of the 92 laws and policies, click here.
5. Despite any inferences to the contrary, Equality Florida was not responsible for, nor did Equality Florida bring about, any of the 92 laws and policies.
Having worked closely with Mayor Muoio during the previous seven years she held office, PBCHRCVA did not need to interview her. We based our endorsement not only on her achievements, but also on her outspoken advocacy for the LGBT community. (A more comprehensive letter detailing Mayor Muoio's her amazing work on our behalf was published widely on February 6, 2015. To view it, click here.).
From August 4, 2014 through her re-election on March 10, 2015, our endorsement was continuously posted on our website (pbchrc.org). In addition, the endorsement has been repeatedly posted on the PBCHRC Facebook Page and on the PBCHRC blog. Moreover, news of the endorsement was repeatedly sent via e-mail to the Palm Beach County voters in PBCHRC's data base.
(When West Palm Beach City Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell entered the race for mayor in late-December 2015, PBCHRCVA determined that it was not necessary to revisit our endorsement, since we were extremely familiar with Mitchell's record and history, based on our work in West Palm Beach municipal government and politics during the 13 years she held office.)
On January 28, 2015, PBCHRCVA interviewed both incumbent West Palm Beach City Commissioner Keith James and his challenger, Len Fintzy. Although we had did not endorse James when he first ran for office, once there, he became an ardent supporter of our initiatives.
In office, James earned a 100% voting record on our initiatives (including, but not limited to, reimbursing employees for the extra federal taxes paid for insuring their domestic partners, enacting an equal benefits ordinance and joining in on the legal briefs filed in the marriage equality cases). He also participated in PBCHRC and other LGBT community events.
After the interviews were concluded, PBCHRCVA endorsed Commissioner James. By February 1, the endorsement publicized in the manner described above.
On February 24, 2015, after absentee ballots had been received, Equality Florida Action PAC sent an e-mail to its supporters in Palm Beach County, which included a link to the "2015 Spring Municipal Voter's Guide". Here is the screenshot:
As you can see, following Kimberly Mitchell's name, there are six checkmarks (in EQFL's signature green). In contrast, following Mayor Jeri Muoio's name, there are six faint dashes. That is also the case for with race involving Len Fintzy and City Commissioner Keith James. These Equality Florida recommendations cause confusion among LGBT voters in Palm Beach County as well as among officeholders and candidates. These recommendations undermined the political work done by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and our Voters Alliance.
EQFL Action PAC has repeatedly made similar recommendations and omissions (e.g., 2004, 2006 and 2008) and all of which resulted in similar responses by PBCHRC. In 2006, the The Independent reported on the rift and the article may be viewed by clicking viewed here.
One of the sixteen paragraphs in the update read as follows:
(Unfortunately, shortly before the
election, Equality Florida sent out an e-mail blast to Palm Beach
County LGBT voters that recommended candidates Kimberly Mitchell and Len Fintzy -- the
candidates running against Mayor Muoio and Commissioner James.
After our "insistence," Equality Florida backed down, deleted its
recommendations and issued hasty endorsements of the two PBCHRC Voters
Alliance-backed candidates. Equality Florida made similar unwanted
interventions into Palm Beach County electoral politics in 2004, 2006
and 2008, and each time we had to expend time and political capital
for them to reverse course and align with our endorsements. PBCHRC
has, once again, asked Equality Florida to "cease and desist" from
getting involved in Palm Beach County politics. Hopefully this time,
we will prevail).
The
PBCHRC Board of Directors and I want to extend an apology to Allan
Hendricks, as I should have included the following disclaimer, and I did
not:
ALL
REFERENCES TO "EQUALITY FLORIDA" AND "EQUALITY FLORIDA ACTION PAC" DO
NOT INCLUDE ALLAN HENDRICKS, THE EQUALITY FLORIDA VOLUNTEER WHO HAS LONG
BEEN THE FACE OF EQUALITY FLORIDA IN PALM BEACH COUNTY. ALLAN WAS NOT
INFORMED OF THE PAC'S RECOMMENDATIONS PRIOR TO THE E-MAIL BEING SENT
OUT. MOREOVER, UNLIKE EQUALITY FLORIDA'S PAID STAFFERS (e.g., Public Policy Director Mallory Wells), ALLAN IS A VALUABLE ASSET TO PALM BEACH COUNTY'S LGBT COMMUNITY.
Shortly after the update was sent, we were challenged to substantiate our claim that Equality Florida ("EQFL" ) again made "unwanted interventions" into Palm Beach County LGBT politics by recommending two candidates for office in West Palm Beach who were not endorsed by the PBCHRC Voters Alliance. Here is our response:
Background
1.
There is no place in Florida where gay men and lesbians residents have
been protected from discrimination longer than we have been in Palm
Beach County 2. The City of West Palm Beach was the first public employer in Florida to offer domestic partnership benefits.
3. Palm Beach County was the first public employer in Florida to provide legal recourse to gay and lesbian county employees who felt they were discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation.
4. Between January 16, 1990 (when the Palm Beach County Fair Housing Ordinance was amended to include "sexual orientation") through March 2, 2015 (when the City of Boynton Beach enacted an LGBT-inclusive Civil Rights Ordinance), ninety-two LGBT- supportive laws and policies have been enacted in Palm Beach County. For a full list of the 92 laws and policies, click here.
5. Despite any inferences to the contrary, Equality Florida was not responsible for, nor did Equality Florida bring about, any of the 92 laws and policies.
The Facts
On July 14, 2014,
the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance ("PBCHRCVA")
took an extraordinary step by endorsing West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri
Muoio's bid for re-election, even though the election would not be held
until March 10, 2015. (For a copy of the endorsement letter, click here). The purpose of the early endorsement was to let potential challengers know they could not count on the support of the city's well organized LGBT voters. Having worked closely with Mayor Muoio during the previous seven years she held office, PBCHRCVA did not need to interview her. We based our endorsement not only on her achievements, but also on her outspoken advocacy for the LGBT community. (A more comprehensive letter detailing Mayor Muoio's her amazing work on our behalf was published widely on February 6, 2015. To view it, click here.).
From August 4, 2014 through her re-election on March 10, 2015, our endorsement was continuously posted on our website (pbchrc.org). In addition, the endorsement has been repeatedly posted on the PBCHRC Facebook Page and on the PBCHRC blog. Moreover, news of the endorsement was repeatedly sent via e-mail to the Palm Beach County voters in PBCHRC's data base.
(When West Palm Beach City Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell entered the race for mayor in late-December 2015, PBCHRCVA determined that it was not necessary to revisit our endorsement, since we were extremely familiar with Mitchell's record and history, based on our work in West Palm Beach municipal government and politics during the 13 years she held office.)
On January 28, 2015, PBCHRCVA interviewed both incumbent West Palm Beach City Commissioner Keith James and his challenger, Len Fintzy. Although we had did not endorse James when he first ran for office, once there, he became an ardent supporter of our initiatives.
In office, James earned a 100% voting record on our initiatives (including, but not limited to, reimbursing employees for the extra federal taxes paid for insuring their domestic partners, enacting an equal benefits ordinance and joining in on the legal briefs filed in the marriage equality cases). He also participated in PBCHRC and other LGBT community events.
After the interviews were concluded, PBCHRCVA endorsed Commissioner James. By February 1, the endorsement publicized in the manner described above.
On February 24, 2015, after absentee ballots had been received, Equality Florida Action PAC sent an e-mail to its supporters in Palm Beach County, which included a link to the "2015 Spring Municipal Voter's Guide". Here is the screenshot:
As you can see, following Kimberly Mitchell's name, there are six checkmarks (in EQFL's signature green). In contrast, following Mayor Jeri Muoio's name, there are six faint dashes. That is also the case for with race involving Len Fintzy and City Commissioner Keith James. These Equality Florida recommendations cause confusion among LGBT voters in Palm Beach County as well as among officeholders and candidates. These recommendations undermined the political work done by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and our Voters Alliance.
EQFL Action PAC has repeatedly made similar recommendations and omissions (e.g., 2004, 2006 and 2008) and all of which resulted in similar responses by PBCHRC. In 2006, the The Independent reported on the rift and the article may be viewed by clicking viewed here.
Conclusion
Since this problem has not been able to be resolved for more than a decade, PBCHRC
requests that the Boards of Equality Florida and the Equality Florida
Action PAC direct their employees to cease and desist from any further
involvement in electoral politics in Palm Beach County.
Judge Rand Hoch (retired),
President and Founder
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
President and Founder
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council
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