“This is totally going to get blown out of proportion,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner.
He was right.
Problem is that he didn’t see that BEFORE Beckner moved to allow county staff to prepare a cost-benefit analysis of offering domestic partnership benefits.
By most accounts, Kevin Beckner pulled an upset victory in the race for BOCC in traditionally conservative Hillsborough County. He convinced many that he was not going to use the position to promote issues related to sexual orientation, saying he didn’t want to be known as the gay candidate.
In their endorsements, the Times said he “would move away from wedge issues,” and the Tribune said he “seems unlikely to be swayed by special interests.” Creative Loafing flat-out asked Beckner if his first mission would be to address issues important to gays, and he denied it:
Would you make it a priority to overturn [the ban on gay pride] ordinance?
Beckner: As a countywide representative, what I’m focusing on are global issues. That would not be the first thing I would step up to do.
What is the first thing you would do?
Beckner: As a certified financial planner, what I do is I sit down with people and help them make a game plan. I think that’s one of the key things that’s also missing in this county is right now we have seven individual commissioners that, in essence, have their own little agendas going. What we really need to do first is get on the same page.
We have no doubt that this community should discuss and debate the merits of domestic partner benefits. In fact, we think such a study might offer some great financial reasons to follow through with it, too.
But we don’t believe it was a good move to bring this up so soon in his tenure. It freaked out some conservative commissioners, had moderate commissioners shaking their heads, and fired up those who remain in the dark ages.
Beckner promised he would first work to forge a united vision for Hillsborough County. He said that growth and transportation are Hillsborough’s most important issues. These are the things he said he would address, and we expect Commissioner Beckner to keep his campaign promises.
Tags: bocc, citizens, county, diversity, domestic partner benefits, hc bocc, Hillsborough County, Kevin Beckner, politics
Rob
1 year ago
What’s the big deal? The County Commission should be able to handle more than one thing at a time. (Well, maybe not our commission, but theoretically they should be able to.) A politically clumsy move or one made too soon maybe, but I don’t see it as a violation of his campaign promises.
tommy
1 year ago
Rob,
Exactly. Politically clumsy is a good way to put it.
Tina
1 year ago
All he wants is to have a STUDY done? That’s it?
THAT’S what a whole entry was written for?
Because God forbid he make one small step in the direction of equality.
You’re not looking for a commissioner — you’re looking for an Uncle Tom.
Darl
1 year ago
How is implementing and following his beliefs, those of some of his constituents, any different than what most elected officials do when they get into office? I can’t believe as a candidate he actually had to promise not to promote equality and fairness. Would you ask a black candidate not to promote a black agenda? And I won’t even say what I really think about those ‘freaked out Conservative Commissioners’ or a certain Senator from the area. None of them had any qualms about promoting prejudice and intolerance against the entire gay community with their ban on Gay Pride under the disguise of placating their constituents.
John
1 year ago
hillsborough county has moved backwards for years socially. To have a new face come in and propose a study to change the status quo of the ass-backward social policies of the HCBOCC… Well, crap. It shouldn’t be an issue.
What IS an issue is the status-quo grandstanding against Beckner’s study. Grandstanding for the sake of preventing a change because “one of those” (and that applies for anyone who upsets the status-quo) is trying to invest time and effort in something besides the status quo.
Riddle me this: What would Brian Blair do? He’d be trying to subvert the process all together. What would Jim Norman do? Try to get his sports complex built on taxpayers dime (which he has tried to do again with the Rowdies proposed stadium).
What are Kevin Beckner’s priorities? How about what are the BOCC’s priorities? Because they sure as heck haven’t prioritized the citizens fo the county as much as the special interests and good old boy, status-quo.
Clyde
1 year ago
If memory serves, there are more heterosexual unmarried couples looking for partner benefits than there are gays. Be that as it may, homophobia is alive and well in Hillsborough County and that’s what this is about. We will have these problems so long as we continue to elect 20th century politicians. As always, we get what we deserve. One can hope that some of these folk’s activities will get them in trouble – if we start applying the duty to serve idea faithfully. Watch the Sansom case.
Drew
1 year ago
Can someone tell me how Rose Ferlita, a gay woman, can stand up at a County Commission meeting and say that she is not in favor of gay marriage due to her Catholic beliefs and then have the audacity to say that she would not vote in favor of the domestic partners benefits……who is she trying to please.
DrewIsOverReactin'
1 year ago
Didn’t Rose vote WITH Kevin in wanting to study the issue again, Drew?