Mayor Steven Reed pushes ordinance opponents say infringe on business, property, and religious rights
In June, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed’s office unveiled plans to create a law to protect LGBTQ residents from discrimination. However, the move to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in Montgomery has expanded into a wider non-discrimination ordinance, and it’s being delayed by pushback that city officials blame on misinformation, Montgomery Advertiser reported. According to the mayor’s office, the ordinance would ban discrimination based on “real or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, familial status, or veteran status.” Specifically, it would make it illegal to discriminate against any of those groups in the areas of public accommodation, housing, employment, and in all city practices, including contracting. In August, members of the public were allowed to address the council on non-agenda items for the first time since March 2020. Multiple speakers have lobbied against the ordinance. Matt Clark of the conservative Alabama Center for Law and Liberty warned the council that voting for the ordinance would force their Christian residents to become criminals because their faith would require them to break the non-discrimination law. In a recent op-ed, Clark wrote, “Because it defines gender identity as “the actual or perceived gender-related identity, expression, appearance, or mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual,” an establishment cannot question whether an individual is actually transgender if that person merely expresses, appears, or acts that way. Consequently, to gain access to women’s restrooms, locker rooms, or showers, a sexual predator will merely have to act like he is transgender. For all its claims about wanting to protect the weak, liberalism is alarmingly willing to subject women and children to severe trauma.” Reed said the ordinance remains a priority and that he hopes it will pass. “It’s important to make sure we’re in line with our principles and values that we say we profess as the birthplace of the civil rights movement,” Reed stated. “We also want to make sure that we’re doing things in the fashion of the new Montgomery that we want to be. That means making sure that we consider and pass ordinances like this that are not only integral to the quality of place that we have right now, but the quality of the city that we want to become.”
Matt Clark: Montgomery’s non-discrimination ordinance is bad for religious freedom, free speech, and public safety
On June 24, 2021, the Montgomery Advertiser reported that Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed would be submitting an ordinance to the city council that would punish discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This city council will likely vote on this ordinance during its next meeting. The Alabama Center for Law and Liberty obtained a copy of the proposed ordinance and posted it on its website. While claiming to protect the civil rights of all, Mayor Reed actually deprives religious adherents of their civil rights and the most vulnerable among us of their right to safety. Let’s start with the implications for churches. One would think that churches would be completely off-limits to the government, but think again. The ordinance forbids anyone from abridging “the right to full enjoyment of any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges of any place of … assemblage … without discrimination.” A church, by definition, is an assembly. Therefore, it appears this ordinance will force churches to let transgender people use the restroom of their choice or face fines if they don’t. This ordinance also has implications for public safety. Because it defines gender identity as “the actual or perceived gender-related identity, expression, appearance, or mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual,” an establishment cannot question whether an individual is actually transgender if that person merely expresses, appears, or acts that way. Consequently, to gain access to women’s restrooms, locker rooms, or showers, a sexual predator will merely have to act like he is transgender. For all its claims about wanting to protect the weak, liberalism is alarmingly willing to subject women and children to severe trauma. This ordinance will also hurt Christians who want to run their businesses in accordance with their faith. You may have heard of Jack Phillips, the Christian cake baker in Colorado who was sued after politely declining to create a custom cake for a same-sex wedding. You may have also heard of Catholic Social Services, a Catholic adoption agency to whom the City of Philadelphia issued an ultimatum after they refused to place children in homes with same-sex couples. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of both Mr. Phillips and Catholic Social Services on narrow grounds, but the issue of whether Christians can run their businesses in accordance with their faith is far from settled. Thus, Christians in Montgomery may be facing similar suits. Homeowners will face similar problems. The ordinance applies to “obtaining housing for rental or sale.” This seems innocuous at first glance since gay and transgender people obviously need housing in order to live. However, this ordinance appears to cover not only basic housing needs but also transactions like reserving a room in a bed and breakfast or a trip on Airbnb and the like. In Hawaii, for instance, a Catholic woman who ran a bed and breakfast out of her house was fined for refusing to rent a room to a same-sex couple. She insisted that everyone, gay or straight, comply with Christian teachings about sex in her house. Undoubtedly, she should have had the right to do that, but Hawaii didn’t care. Apparently, neither does Mayor Reed. Finally, this ordinance is bad for free speech. LGBT advocates like the Human Rights Campaign argue that people should not face discrimination for who they are, and therefore people like Jack Phillips should have to praise a same-sex marriage even if they disagree with it. However, if we turn the tables, we should ask whether a gay bakery should be forced to bake a cake for a religious person with the words, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22.) By the same logic, the religious person should not have to face discrimination since his religion is as essential to his identity as the gay person’s sexuality is to his. Mayor Reed and his allies would probably believe that the gay cake baker should not be forced to say that—and they would be right. But neither should the Christian be forced to say something contrary to his beliefs. “Speech for me, but not for thee” is incompatible with the First Amendment. Finally, forcing this ordinance on one of the most religious cities in the United States is political suicide. If the city council passes it, then the voters will remember how the city put most of them in the crosshairs. Matt Clark serves as the Alabama Center for Law & Liberty’s Executive Director. ACLL is the non-profit litigation arm of the Alabama Policy Institute.
Montgomery police chief resigns; mayor says change needed
Montgomery Police Chief Ernest Finley has resigned after more than six years, with the mayor saying change was needed. The departure of Finley, who came to Alabama’s capital after nearly three decades with the Atlanta Police Department, was announced by Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed on Tuesday, news outlets reported. Montgomery has fared better than other cities its size as rates of violent crime rise nationwide, Reed said, and it didn’t suffer damage during civil unrest last year following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Still, he said, “the situation and circumstances” have changed since Finley began in 2015. “I feel it is in the best interest of the men and women of the Montgomery Police Department, as well as the residents of Montgomery, to make a change in leadership,” Reed said in a statement. Finley was hired before Reed took office in the city of about 200,000. He has not commented publicly on his departure. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: Legislative session begins
As the 2021 Regular Legislative Session begins, you will see new leadership in the state Senate. Republicans dominate both chambers, overwhelmingly. They have a supermajority and dominate all issues and the budgeting process. They acknowledge the handful of Democrats, but really never give them any say in decision making. Therefore, the leadership is determined within the Republican caucus. President Pro Tem, Del Marsh, decided in late November to step down from the all-powerful position of President Pro Tem of the Senate. Marsh had announced a few months earlier that he would not run for reelection to his Anniston based Senate Seat in the 2022 Elections. Many Montgomery insiders had foreseen this change in leadership for a while. The succession of state Senator Greg Reed of Jasper to the Pro Tem leadership of the Senate post was expected, as was the ascension of Senator Clay Scofield of Marshall County to the Majority Leader position. Greg Reed’s anointment to the omnipotent President Pro Tem position is a natural transition for the Alabama Senate. He is a real leader and well respected by his colleagues. This progression has been in the works for a while. Reed is a perfect choice to lead the Alabama State Senate. He is very organized and meticulous with excellent planning and organizational skills. Senator Clay Scofield is one of the most likeable people in the Senate. He is very jovial and friendly but deceptively effective. He is a young, prominent farmer from Sand Mountain and he will be a great Majority Leader. First-term State Senator Donnie Chesteen of Geneva/ Houston is doing a yeoman’s job working to expand rural broadband in the state. He served eight years in the House before moving to the Senate in 2018. The Democrats may have a superstar emerging in the Senate with Kirk Hatcher of Montgomery. Hatcher is in his first term in the Alabama House. When Senator David Burkette left the Montgomery Democratic Senate Seat last year, an open race to fill the seat began. Hatcher entered and led a six-person field with an impressive 48%. Second place finisher, veteran former Representative, John Knight, could barely muster 20%. Hatcher finished Knight off in a December runoff. Kirk Hatcher joins his fellow Morehouse graduates, Mayor Steven Reed and Probate Judge J.C. Love, as the new, young leadership of Montgomery. This triumvirate cadre of leaders all grew up together in Montgomery. All three went off to Morehouse and came home to lead their city. They are an impressive threesome. Democrats in the House and Senate would like to see early voting and absentee voting made easier in Alabama. However, their efforts to allow early voting or no-excuse absentee voting faces a dismal outlook in the GOP controlled legislature. The state saw an amazing record-breaking 318,000 absentee ballots cast in the November election. The previous record was 89,000. The rules were loosened by Secretary of State John Merrill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than a dozen counties opened courthouses on Saturday for people to cast in-person absentee ballots. State Representative Chris England, who also chairs the Alabama Democratic Party, has opined that the long lines and extensive absentee ballot voting shows that people want opportunities to vote early. England and House Democratic Leader Anthony Daniels of Huntsville will push for change in the state voting laws that give Alabamians the opportunity to vote early, permanently. Daniels and England are young superstars to watch. Chris England gets his leadership abilities honestly. His father is legendary Tuscaloosa Circuit Judge and former State Supreme Court Justice and University of Alabama Trustee, John England. The apple does not fall far from the tree. Chris is also a prominent Tuscaloosa lawyer in his own right. The House leadership will remain intact and continue their well-organized operating procedures. Speaker Mac McCutcheon is mild mannered, gentlemanly, and well-liked. He and the popular Republican Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter from DeKalb County work well together in organizing the super Republican Majority House of Representatives. Veteran Mobile Legislator Victor Gaston is steady as Pro Tem. The glue that holds the House together and makes it successful are the two Budget Chairmen Steve Clouse of Ozark and Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa. Clouse and Poole have chaired the House Ways and Means Committees for almost a decade. They do an excellent job. Both budgets originate in the House. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Montgomery officials tying tax bid to military future
Officials supporting a move to raise property taxes in a bid to improve Montgomery’s troubled public schools say defeat could endanger the future of its military facilities, a leading employer in central Alabama. A recent military report pointed out the area’s lack of support for public education, news outlets reported. Failing to fix the system’s problems would put Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base on shaky ground partly because service members don’t want to move their families to the area, tax supporters say. “Without more options for quality public education, we risk Maxwell and Gunter missions being reduced or relocated to communities that offer quality public education,” retried Brig. Gen. Trent Edwards told a news conference Wednesday. That potential loss would affect almost 13,000 jobs attached to the base plus its annual economic impact of $2.6 billion, officials said. City and county leaders attended the gathering in support of an initiative on the November ballot to raise county property taxes above the legally mandated state minimum. The proposal, which would more than double the current rate to 22 mills, would bring in an additional $33 million annually for education and hike the annual tax bill for an median-priced home by almost $13. Mayor Steven Reed said the hike was needed to both secure the future of the military installation and create new academic opportunities for students. “Education changes outcomes, it changes families, it changes generations, it changes communities,” said Reed. “We can’t get that type of educational product without investing in it at the same level. We have to do that by voting for this initiative on November 3.” School officials have said the additional money would be used to hire more teachers, repair poorly maintained school buildings and improve security. The state intervened in Montgomery school system three years ago trying to make improvements. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Meeting set on police review board proposal in Montgomery
As officials in Alabama’s capital city mull a proposal to form a citizen review board to help oversee city police — an idea pushed in the wake of the police custody death of George Floyd — some are worried about whether that board will have enough authority. The Southern Poverty Law Center said in a news release that a Tuesday night meeting in Montgomery is being hosted by “a coalition of community organizers, nonprofit organizations, and other community stakeholders.” The Montgomery Advertiser reports that the SPLC release said community groups have expressed several concerns about the proposal. They include the limited authority of the board and who selects the members. Tuesday night’s meeting at Montgomery’s Connecting Life Center, will provide a chance for people to hear more about the proposal and share concerns, the newspaper reported. A draft proposal was submitted to the Montgomery City Council by Mayor Steven Reed last month. That was the result of weeks of discussions with community leaders after Floyd’s police custody death in Minneapolis. That initial plan included 13 members serving five-year terms. One would be from each council district, with four more appointed by the mayor. It called for the board to meet at least twice a month to make budget, policy, disciplinary, and community relations recommendations. Montgomery Police Chief Ernest Finley and Reed would have final say on any actions recommended by the board. The plan is under review by the City Council’s public safety committee. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Randall Woodfin and Steven Reed get national attention as members of “text group”
Two Alabama mayors were recently featured in a national news story. NBC News Today Show featured Mayors Randall Woodfin and Steven Reed as two of seven African American mayors who have found they can lean on each other in unique times. Woodfin told Today’s Craig Melvin, “All of us are dealing with the trifecta of a global health pandemic, an economic crisis, and racial unrest. All three of those things combined requires a deep moral compass to make tough decisions.” Along with Woodfin and Reed, Mayors Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, Missouri, Chokwe Lumumba of Jackson, Mississippi, Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, Louisiana, Frank Scott of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Levar Stoney of Richmond, Virginia were a part of the story. Each man has a unique story of what brought them into politics, but they are all able to connect on different levels and give each other advice on the extraordinary times they are leading. Melvin asked the mayors how the being young Black men influenced how they govern their cities’ police departments. “It takes a balance, and I think what I’ve tried to do is have a compassion for our communities. Have a compassion for our residents,” Reed responded. “You have to listen to all your constituents,” Woodfin said. “Because at the end of the day, although our job is mayor, the responsibility of public safety is ours. You have to listen to all your constituents,” Woodfin added. “Because at the end of the day, although our job is mayor, the responsibility of public safety is ours.” Woodfin was an attorney before turning to politics. He became mayor of Birmingham in 2017. Born and raised in Birmingham, he attended Morehouse College and went on to earn his J.D. degree from the Samford University Cumberland School of Law. Reed became the first African American mayor of Montgomery when he was sworn into office in 2019. Before he was mayor, he also worked as a financial analyst. In 2012 he was sworn in as a probate judge, the first African American in that position. All seven men gathered via video remote from their offices. They all agree that the friendship and discussion have helped them all tremendously. “We don’t have to put up the proverbial face with each other,” Scott remarked. “And we can trust one another.” http://https://www.today.com/video/7-black-mayors-form-a-group-text-to-help-each-other-face-challenges-91974213718
Montgomery approves hazard pay bonus for front-line workers
Montgomery’s city-county personnel board voted Tuesday to give qualifying city workers an extra $2.50 per hour through the end of the year, news outlets reported.
‘Black Lives Matter’ painted at site of former slave market in Montgomery
Michelle Browder and a group of artists painted the message around the fountain at Court Square in downtown Montgomery.
Birmingham imposes curfew after night of violence, looting
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin appealed for calm in a city known for civil rights demonstrations that turned violent in the 1960s when segregationist officials used dogs and fire hoses on protesters.
Montgomery may consider face mask requirement
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said that the proposal may be brought to the city council as soon as Tuesday.
Alabama virus cases top 18,000
As of Monday, Alabama had more than 18,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 640 deaths.
