Politics & Government

Inver Grove Heights Council Shoots Down Domestic Partner Registry

Despite the failure of the ordinance, Mayor George Tourville says the city is open to all lifestyles.

Inver Grove Heights welcomes people of all sexual orientations and lifestyles.

That was Mayor George Tourville's message on Monday, even as the council voted 4-1 against a that would have, if passed, allowed unmarried couples living in the city to formally document their relationship, regardless of their sexual orientation. Councilor Rosemary Piekarski Krech cast the sole vote in favor of the ordinance.

Tourville, like several other members of the council, ultimately felt that such an ordinance was outside of the purview of city officials. Passing a registry, Tourville also noted, may prove to be a double-edged sword for the very couples it would recognize. By signing on to the registry, a couple's identity would become a part of public record, allowing them to be targeted by other groups and individuals, Tourville said.

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But just before the vote, Tourville strongly condemned any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

“You are welcome in the city,” Tourville said, in an apparent address to gay couples. "If you feel you're being discriminated against, you let us know as a city or a police department … and we will take care of it.”

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The debate over the proposed ordinance began at the end of September, after council members heard requests from several local residents for a registry. Supporters of the registry say it would help committed, unmarried couples access health insurance from employers, although it would do little for the couple's legal standing.

The proposed registry drew criticism from several council members and a number of local residents.

"What are you doing, getting involved in a moral issue?" asked Inver Grove Heights resident Bill Kostner, who spoke at the meeting Monday. "This issue has nothing to do with the growth of Inver Grove Heights, its fiscal base, the safety of the community for its citizens, the improvement of the roads or water system and how about keeping taxes down?”

Minnesota residents will vote next fall on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. More than a dozen other municipalities in the state have already passed registries, in what some say is a show of support for gay marriage in the state. The first registry was passed last year in Edina.

The harshest criticism of the failed ordinance didn't come from an audience member, but Councilor Dennis Madden, who last month voiced tentative support for the registry.

“I don’t think it’s within the city’s purview to do it ... we might as well pass a motion saying we should get out of Iraq,” said Madden, whose opinion of the ordinance changed .

“I’m getting tired of seeing the standards and morals of this country going down the tubes," said Madden, drawing applause from some members of the audience. "Whatever you do in your private life is your business, but don’t ask me to come along and approve it."


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