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Committee tables human rights vote

ELKINS –A proposed city ordinance that would create a human rights commission was the topic of a controversial discussion on Friday during an Elkins City Council Rules and Ordinance Committee meeting.

Fourth Ward Councilwoman and Rules and Ordinance Committee Chairperson Nanci Bross-Fregonara said, “Part of the reason that we wanted to establish a human rights commission is mostly to have people in this town working on a way to make sure that the city looks inclusive, appreciates diversity of all types.”

After a request from Fifth Ward Councilwoman Linda Vest, committee members agreed to table the proposal of the human right commission ordinance until a number of changes to the proposed document are made.

Before the Rules and Ordinance Committee votes about taking the proposal to the Elkins City Council for a vote during a regular meeting, changes will be made to the language of the document, as well as to specific conditions, officials said.

Mike House, pastor at Ambassador Baptist Church in Elkins, spoke in opposition to the ordinance during the meeting.

“My question is why we need this when there is not a problem,” House said.

Bross-Fregonara argued there are issues within the community that could be solved or bettered with the introduction of the commission.

“If you talk anecdotally, there are folks that may have a different ethnicity that have run into problems in Elkins. We have a problem in public relations with having the recent ACLU coming in looking at what people may perceive as a problem resulting from the infamous ‘memo,’ and it’s just a commission that would be working on making the city a more inclusive, inviting place for all people,” Bross-Fregonara said.

House added that much of his concern was related to providing funding for the commission.

In response, Bross-Fregonara explained that if this commission were to request funding, the funds would have to be approved by Elkins City Council each time a request was made

“If the human rights commission came up with a workshop that they would like to have a speaker come in for $50, they would have to ask for those funds,” Bross-Fregonara.

“So, our tax dollars would be going to something that is unnecessary because nobody’s rights are being infringed upon, and you’re asking for funding for something that many in our community are very much opposed to,” House argued.

In addition, First Ward Councilman Rhett Dusenbury also spoke in opposition to the commission ordinance.

“This is going to be approved by the city of Elkins, and, like he said, I haven’t heard of any major issues where we need a human rights commission,” Dusenbury said. “This does lend itself to creating protective classes which is, from my understanding, what we’ve been trying to get away from.”

However, Dusenbury offered to serve as a committee member, if the ordinance is approved by City Council in the future.

“I think we just need to leave it alone and let the state handle it,” Vest said. “If they have a problem at work, school or the college, they have other alternatives.”

Many of those who attended who were in opposition to the ordinance said people have a number of resources that can be used as alternatives to creating a new commission.

In 2015, Elkins City Council voted 6-4 in favor of a resolution that amended the Equal Opportunity Policy in the city’s personnel manuel to include language that would specifically prohibit discrimination against any city employee and/or applicants on the basis of sexual orientation; urge local residents to undertake affirmative steps and promote the adoption of policies to end all discriminatory practices based upon a person’s sexual orientation; and urge the West Virginia State Legislature to amend the West Virginia Human Rights Act, the West Virginia Fair Housing Act, and any other state statutes that would end discrimination against persons based on sexual orientation.

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