Opposing views aired at Butler debate
Butler's mayoral and city council candidates voiced opposing views on the now-dormant but still controversial anti-discrimination ordinance during a candidate debate before about 100 people Tuesday at the Holly Pointe building.
The ordinance, which has been tabled since July, provides for equal opportunities regardless of race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin and sexual orientation.
Mayor candidates Jamie Lee Goehring, a Democrat, and Ben Smith, a Republican, differed on the ordinance.
Goehring called it a progressive measure and said equality shouldn't be an issue in the 21st century.
She also believes that the city government should have done a better job informing residents about the ordinance.
Smith said the overwhelming majority of the people he has meet with and talked to while campaigning oppose it.
He said discrimination exists in Butler, but small businesses in other parts of the country that operate under similar ordinances have found themselves in court defending against lawsuits that stemmed from the ordinances.
A full report appears in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.
