Mayor-elect Mike Rawlings
UPDATE: Rawlings said the following in an email shortly after we posted this: “I’ll plan to be there unless [secretary] Sandy [Nelson] tells me I have a conflict. She will put it on my calendar.”
ORIGINAL POST:
It remains unclear whether Mayor-elect Mike Rawlings will attend an LGBT Pride Month Reception at Dallas City Hall on Monday afternoon.
A press release announcing the reception sent out by the city on Wednesday indicates that Rawlings will be there. However, Councilwoman Delia Jasso, who organized the reception, said this morning that Rawlings hasn’t confirmed his attendance.
“I would list him as invited,” Jasso said, adding that she’s confident he’ll attend.
On Wednesday, Rawlings said in an email to Dallas Voice that he will “try to be there.”
“It’s not on my calendar right now but I will try to be there when I find the details,” Rawlings said.
Rawlings didn’t respond to a follow-up email providing details of the Pride Reception. He also didn’t immediately respond to a voicemail left on his cell phone this morning.
The Pride Reception would be Rawlings first LGBT event as mayor, and his attendance could be an indicator that he’s willing to mend fences with the two LGBT groups that endorsed his opponents in the election. During the reception, Jasso will present a Pride Month proclamation to the LGBT task force she created, which includes leaders from the the two groups, the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance and Stonewall Democrats of Dallas.
Jasso said Monday’s Pride Reception, the first of its kind, will take place immediately after a post-inauguration photo session for council members in the same location, the Flag Room on the sixth floor.
“It’s as convenient as it can be for any council person to stay,” she said.
Jasso is hosting the reception along with Councilwoman Angela Hunt and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano.
Jasso said all current council members have been invited, but only Jerry Allen has confirmed he’ll be there. Jasso said she also plans to contact new council members who’ll be sworn in Monday to invite them.
Others listed on the city press release as attending are City Manager Mary Suhm, Assistant Chief of Police Vincent Golbeck and Assistant Chief of Dallas Fire Rescue Debra Carlin. Jasso said the police and fire chiefs had prior commitments.
“A special ceremony will be held at Dallas City Hall in recognition of June LGBT Pride Month,” the press release states. “The ceremony is to recognize June 28, 1969 as a historic turning point for LGBT’s struggle for equality.”
The event is open to the public and begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Flag Room, on the sixth floor of City Hall at 1500 Marilla.
I do not believe that it is up to the new mayor to “mend fences” with DGLA, quite the opposite.
It is one thing to simply endorse one candidate over another in a political race where both candidates have sought the endorsement from advocacy groups. It’s fundamentally different for one of those groups to issue an explicit warning to vote against a particular candidate, in which case it is incumbent on the group that issued the warning to initiate the mending.
Look, I could care less, but this is the same day that the city council is being sworn-in. Now Hispaincs and Blacks, and Asian would be begging for him to come to there parades and partys
It does seem odd to have one group expect attendance at a reception, when other groups don’t do the same. Also, the “mending fences” things seems nice but a bit dramatic-since we all have the obligation to vote according to conscience in an election. Voting as a large block or special interest group is not exactly my idea of “pride” or something to party about. Interesting.