NEWS
Council allows oaths of protest
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by Courtney Johnson
Friday, January 19, 2007
The Madison Common Council passed a proposal Jan. 16 to allow newly elected officials to protest November’s gay-marriage ban in their oaths of office this April.
The amendment limits marriage to one man and one woman, and prevents the possibility of an institution substantially similar to marriage being created for homosexual couples or other unmarried individuals.
The newly approved addendum gives public officials in Madison the option to, after the standard oath of office, make a statement saying they will work to overturn this portion of the Wisconsin constitution.
“This is the first time the constitution has been used to take away rights,” said Bert Zipperer, a member of Madison’s Equal Opportunities Commission who spoke at the Common Council meeting.
The EOC had been lobbying for the addendum after Dan Ross, who is gay, resigned from the commission following the passage of the marriage amendment.
“What we are proposing is not dangerous — it’s a statement of principle,” Zipperer said.
After being approved by a vote of 14-4, public officials can now “pledge to work to eliminate this section from the Constitution and work to prevent any discriminatory impacts from its application,” according to the proposal. The addendum will be provided to all officials with their oath of office and is entirely voluntary.
“[The marriage amendment] bothered me a great deal, and I know that it bothered a lot of people after this amendment passed by the vote in November,” said Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5. “A lot of us have trouble with that part of the state constitution, but we legally have to swear to uphold the constitution.”
Webber is running for re-election this April against Troy Thiel. If re-elected, she said she would include this protest in her oath.
But some Common Council members said allowing public officials to protest certain controversial laws in their oaths sets a dangerous precedent.
“This isn’t the proper venue to protest something like that,” said Ald. Judy Compton, District 16. “When we have a charter from the state, we are supporting the state’s statutes, so I find it very hard to believe that we can pick and choose what we want to support.”
Compton said her opposition to protesting the marriage amendment in the oaths of office is not a reflection of her views on gay marriage. As a Common Council member representing a constituency, Compton said she feels it is not her place to voice her personal beliefs when she takes an oath to uphold the state constitution.
Many aldermen sponsored the proposal, including Common Council President Austin King and Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, who opposed the marriage amendment last fall, is also listed as a sponsor for the proposal.
“He’s pleased to see this going forward formally now,” said George Twigg, spokesperson for the mayor. “He opposed the constitutional amendment strongly and was sorry to see it pass, and he believes it’s important to continue to speak out against it.”
Twigg added the mayor would also include this statement in his oath if re-elected this April.
Anonymous (January 22, 2007 @ 11:02am):
Nobody cares about your statement when you make your oath of office. Its a stupid liberal thing to do, and im ashamed the publicity that has been given to it. The voters of Wisconsin have spoken on that issue. DEAL WITH IT!
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