The Dallas Voice broke the news Tuesday that Councilman Scott Griggs had won the support from a majority of his colleagues for a resolution supporting marriage equality and would be putting the item on the City Council agenda for a vote.
"It's timely, and it's relevant," Griggs later told the Morning News. "The LGBT community is not only a big part of Oak Cliff but a big part of Dallas."
And so, with Dwaine Caraway, Jerry Allen, Monica Alonzo, Pauling Medrano, Angela Hunt, Delia Jasso, and Sandy Greyson reportedly on board, expect the measure to pass over the inevitable sermon from Vonciel Hill.
But Hill won't be the only one at the horseshoe who harbors doubts. Mayor Mike Rawlings, who's said repeatedly that he is in favor of gay marriage but has been cautious about putting his support to paper doesn't think the City Council should be debating the issue.
Why? For the same reason it shouldn't be "talking about late-term abortions, or gun control, or Gitmo," he told the News' Rudy Bush yesterday. These are national issues that a municipality has no control. It's a waste of time.
Leave aside for a moment the fact that Griggs' resolution, or at least its timing, seems to be an effort to out-gay Jasso in their District 1 race. (Jasso was so eager to express her support for the measure that she managed to conflate gay marriage with gas drilling in an interview with the Morning News editorial board.) The City Council wastes tons of time talking about stuff that's unimportant or over which they have no control. It's how they roll. Spending 10 minutes talking about marriage equality won't cause municipal government to grind to a halt. To put it another way, why not?
Griggs' resolution is below, via the Voice.
