03/18/2024
City Council news and long post warning…
Monroe Friends…for those of you that watched the City Council meeting on Friday and seem to not really understand the power of the vote, I will explain what I know. The facts.
Regular meeting scheduled for last Tuesday was cancelled. 3 council member were out of town and Mayor Burns knew this well in advance. Why he waited so long to cancel is suspect to me.
Special meeting called for Friday 3/15.m @ 1pm.
This meeting was to discuss the “Hello Daddy” play that is booked for the Dowd Theater on 3/22 and regular City Council agenda items.
This play is being “sponsored” by Union County Pride. This is a private event that UC Pride rented the theater and sold tickets. The City of Monroe has NOTHING to do with this and not will benefit from tickets sales. Just the rent of the facility. (To deny ANY group the rental of the facility under current policy would be discrimination…and could be subject to a lawsuit if denied).
What Burns tried to do: Clear the calendar for ALL events held at the Dowd for 2024 until council can review the rental policy.
He lost this vote 4/2 with Burns and Mayor Pro Temp David Dodson being the ONLY votes for clearing the calendar.
NOTE: do you realize what clearing the calendar would do? Do you know how much revenue the city would lose from cancelling events like Dance recitals, Police and Fire graduations, UC Jazz/Sympony performances….?????
The 4 council members that voted against the closure were Anderson, Anthony, McGee and Thompson. Councilmen Kerr was absent.
These members listened to the City’s attorneys and took heed to the warning this was a bad idea.
As you will read on FB from Burns supporters that these 4 are not protecting children and allowing drag in a city owned facility. This couldn’t be further from the truth!
These 4 stopped the clearing of the calendar and allowed the show to go on as scheduled AND also voted to take time to review the policies in place to rent the facility to “private parties.”
Now, what I don’t know is what all this “Hello Daddy” play is all about. Some say it’s drag targeting children, some say it’s a display of art. Either way, as the policy stands, the UC Pride applied, paid money and rightfully can rent the facility. The tickets sales go directly to UC Pride and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte (also listed as a sponsor.)
Until the policy(s) are reviewed, the show can go on.
Personally, if it is a form of drag and allows anyone under 18 to attend, I don’t like it…but the bottom line is in order to protect the TAX PAYERS of the city against a potential lawsuit, the 4 that voted to allow this we’re in the right, LEGALLY.
Their vote says nothing about their individual beliefs but their due dilliagnce to the city to protect the CITY.
*I will NOT allow comments to this post as I am not here to engage in banter, just to tell the facts!
