A.G. Gancarski
Maria Mark is a “straight ally.” Some politicians talk the talk; she walks the walk, and it is a centerpiece of her re-election campaign for the Atlantic Beach City Commission.
“Maria helped draft and sponsor the Human Rights Ordinance that recently passed (4-0) on Aug. 11, 2014. Maria was recently awarded the ‘Voice for Equality Award’ at Equality Florida’s Jacksonville Annual Gala for her dedication to equal rights for the LGBT community in Atlantic Beach,” reads a recent post to her campaign’s Facebook page.
Atlantic Beach is a small town. And unlike in certain places, politicians are better off not giving in to wholesale enmity.
That said, there are occasions where politicians “defriend” each other, as fellow Commissioner Jonathan Daugherty (who is best known in the Jacksonville area for his allegedly unique approach to traffic tickets) did to Mark on Facebook.
I just wanted to let you know I am going to defriend you on facebook during the election not because I don’t like you as a person but because it makes me sick to my stomach and makes my blood boil every time I see a lgbt event or endorsement in my newsfeed. You have sold your soul even though I believe you think you are believe you think you are doing good. In reality you are creating division in our community. I think you will find a increasingly large backlash to what you have done and you will lose by a very large margin. Remember even though they may write a check and pat you on the back most don’t live here and they can’t vote. The people that you have pissed off though can and will and that is a majority of the people I talk to. I will pray for your soul. [SIC]
Mark posted this chat to her Facebook page around midnight on Wednesday, where the commenters took her side, predictably enough.
By late Wednesday, she was trying to put the whole mess behind her.
“Friends, first I want to thank you for your comments, sharing, etc about Cmr. Daugherty’s comment to me — but, I think we need to let it be and move on,” she wrote. “I am not running for re-election to create division, but am running to bring UNITY in our commUNITY! There is no place for negativity and am asking that all conversation and comments quiet down and let’s work on resolving the real issues and ensuring ALL AB citizens enjoy the highest quality of life!!”
Odds are, this story will have more developments soon enough.
