Grand Island city council approves GLBT measure

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by Josh Egbert

Story Created: Nov 14, 2012 at 5:32 PM CDT

Story Updated: Nov 14, 2012 at 6:35 PM CDT

It's a move that shows the strained relationship between the mayor and Grand Island city council.

On Tuesday night, city council overrode a mayoral veto enacting a city protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gender people.
The council voted 6 to 4 to add the protection but was vetoed by the mayor.

The council was voting on whether to add sexual orientation to a list of classes the city does not discriminate against when hiring city workers.

After the vote, Mayor Jay Vavricek called on the six council members who supported the measure to explain their vote.

Then, after the mayor vetoed the protection, the council voted 8 to 2 override that veto.

"I think it shows the council kind of came together and decided that we wanted it. The council has spoken. I think one of the council persons said the council has spoken and that's the vote and that's the way it is," said council member John Gericke.

Last month, the council rejected a city-wide measure that would have barred businesses from discriminating against current or prospective employees based on their sexual orientation.

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