By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman
KALAMAZOO – On April 18 the city of Kalamazoo decided to stop offering benefits to the same-sex partners of its employees beginning Jan. 1, 2006. The decision comes on the heels of an opinion by Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox that declared the benefits unconstitutional in the wake of the passage of the anti-family Proposal 2 last year and a subsequent opinion by Kalamazoo City Attorney Bob Cinabro.
However, City Manager Pat Digiovanni, with consent of the majority of the city commission, has agreed to go to court and fight to reinstate the benefits.
The families of five city employees will lose their benefits if the city is unsuccessful.
The only City Commissioner who voted against taking court action on behalf of Kalamazoo employees' families was Mary Balkema, according to a WWMT Channel 3 report. Balkema began the action to eliminate DP benefits when she asked for the Cox opinion through State Representative Hoogendyk in January.
One of those employees, Labor Relations Specialist Jerome Post, said that he and his partner of 14 years are "looking at our options" should they ultimately lose the benefits they have come to depend on.
"One of those options is to move out of state," Post said. "It's pretty nerve wracking." Should Post need to leave, the city will lose his eighteen years of human resources experience.
Speak OUT!
Support Kalamazoo City Manager Pat Digiovanni in his fight to keep vital benefits for the families of all of Kalamazoo's employees. And be sure to take a moment to tell City Commissioner Mary Balkema and State Representative Jack Hoogendyk how you feel about their efforts to discriminate against the families of gay and lesbian employees.
Kalamazoo City Manager
Pat Digiovanni
241 W. South St., Kalamazoo, MI, 49007
269-337-8047
Kalamazoo City Commission
241 West South St
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
269-337-8046
State Represenatative Jack Hoogenkyk
517-373-1774
[email protected]
