A.G. Gancarski
Thursday’s Jacksonville City Council Committee of the Whole on the HRO expansion was “different than I’d intended,” Council President Greg Anderson said.
Despite the procedural theater initiated by Council Vice President Lori Boyer, which included two failed attempts to have the Tommy Hazouri bill withdrawn, Anderson was positive about the outcome of the first of three proposed special meetings on the Human Rights Ordinance.
“It showed Council’s desire to do work,” Anderson said, including an inclination to “dig into key business points.”
While Anderson was positive about his colleagues being “committed to the process,” he has questions, as did Boyer, about the state of proposed legislation in light of Lenny Curry issuing a departmental directive banning employment related discrimination among city employees and those of vendors.
“How much information” can be learned about the effects of the “executive order in the next two meetings?” Anderson said.
Anderson cited differences between state and federal guidelines that will require serious scrutiny.
“How do you look at the vendor relationship? How do you manage the process? I’ve got a lot of questions,” Anderson said.
Those questions also extend to the effect of an HRO expansion as it relates to the Curry directive … specifically, whether there will be contradictions between the proposed laws and the directive on the books.
Anderson suggests a process of real review might take a few months.
Anderson, like Lori Boyer on Thursday, also contends that the mayor’s office has not lobbied Council on this issue.
