Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 16:09:47 -0600 (CST)
From: Kevyn Jacobs <kevyn@KSUVM.KSU.EDU>
To: "Kansas Queer News [KQN]" <KQN@casti.com>
Subject: NEWS-TELEGRAPH: LAWRENCE COMMISSION EXPECTED TO PULL "A QUICKIE"

FROM THE NEWS-TELEGRAPH

Lawrence Human Rights Campaign Gets Hot:
Commission Expected To Pull "A Quickie"

by Lisa Marie Neff

LAWRENCE; KS-As the News-Telegraph went to press, all indications
were that the Lawrence City Commission would hold a vote on a
proposed amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance before a public
hearing.

Activists in the city said it appeared that commissioners who
oppose amending the human rights law to include sexual
orientation as a protected class want to vote on the issue before
the April 4 general election.

"We feel like we came to the city commission with a very
straight-up thing," said David Scheuer of the Freedom Coalition.
"We had 1,400 signers, dozens of businesses, religious groups
supporting this. And the commission said, 'Well, we're going to
delay it for two months. Then it said it was going to delay until
after the election. Now it is doing a quickie vote without a
public hearing. We feel we've been treated very unfairly. It's
been very disappointing to see the kind of backroom shenanigans
that are taking place."

On March 7, at News-Telegraph press time, commissioner Doug
Compton was expected to ask the commission to place the ordinance
on the agenda at the March 14 meeting. Compton initially wanted
to vote on the ordinance after the elections and said he needed
to time to research the proposal. Compton even put together a
list of thirty-plus questions he needed answered before he could
vote on the proposition.

But in the primary held February 28, Compton finished fourth in a
race of thirteen. The primary narrowed the race for city
commissioner to six candidates vying for three seats. Activists
called Compton's new push for a quick vote is "grandstanding" and
"shameless opportunism."

Activists leading the campaign for the ordinance said the
community needs to rally behind incumbent John Nalbandian and
Allen Levine in his race for city commissioner. Levine supports
adding sexual orientation in the ordinance and his vote could
carry the ordinance.

"Our real mission in the next month is to get Allen Levine from
the sixth to third" position in the city commission race. "That
has never been done before but we feel like there is the real
potential out there to accomplis that." Scheuer said in a race
with several conservative candidates Levine should have broad
appeal.

"It is going to be a long shot," said Scheuer. "It is going to be
a hard fight. We're really going to have to pull out the stops"
to elect Levine and pass the ordinance.

To assist with the Levine campaign cal 913/842.4283 or
913/841-7817.

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FROM THE NEWS-TELEGRAPH
MARCH 10-23, 1995
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION

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