Monday, May 16, 2011
Second Draft of History
West Scoops the Win
Jason West, the former New Paltz mayor who won national attention for conducting same sex marriages, is going to be mayor again. He won his seat back on May 3, four years after he was voted out of office. He said this time around, he doesn’t have anything quite as extravagant as the 2004 marriages planned.
Back then, West turned the small village of New Paltz into a media frenzy by marrying same-sex couples in front of the Town Hall.
West felt it was a necessary measure to marry same-sex couples and begin something no one had done. “In 2003, when I ran for mayor the first time, it was in the back of my mind as something I wanted to look into,” West said. “I wanted to find out if it was legal and if it wasn’t, why not.”
During his first month as mayor, West had the village attorney look into the legalities of same-sex marriage in New York state. The attorney then wrote him a memo stating that there were no laws at all on same-sex marriage in the state. So West took this opportunity to change the town and possibly the state. Since there were no laws in place, West decided to perform the marriages and see what came of it. There were already states that were legalizing same-sex marriage and West wanted to see if the marriages would push for laws legalizing it in New York state.
West planned a spring wedding in the park. However, he had trouble finding couples that would agree to be married by him, an act that would thrust them into the spotlight. He spent that summer, fall and winter finding couples. “We wanted to have the tuxes, dresses, the band, the reception, the whole nine yards,” said West. “It was something morally that needed to be done. Once the legal opinion was in that we didn’t know (if it was legal or not) we decided to go forward.”
On the day of the wedding, there were hundreds of supporters. Not very many protesters showed up at the weddings, according to West. “I think there were seven protestors,” West said. “Businesses had signs, restaurants had special features, the Gilded Otter had a special drink called the Nuptial Ale, it was a lot of fun and people really got behind it.”
When asked if he would change anything he did after all of the attention he got, West said, “not at all. I might try to make it bigger. My opinion hasn’t changed at all and if anything my conviction has gotten stronger.”
West moved back to New Paltz a year and a half ago, after living in San Francisco for a short time. After settling back in, West realized that many of the projects he had started as mayor had been put on the back burner. Feeling that these projects were important, and that there was more to be done, West decided to run for mayor in the 2011 election.
When he first announced his campaign, West got quite a bit of support. He did quite a bit of campaigning, including some talks at SUNY New Paltz. He also had a meet and greet with people in the town, and went door to door to talk to people.
West won the election on May 3. However, not every member of the village was pleased with this, including one of West’s opponents, John Cohen. Cohen is not pleased with the way West has handled his past both personally and as mayor.
Cohen said that he allowed West and his volunteers to use his property to perform some of the marriages. He says that this almost got him in a large deal of trouble with the District Attorney.
“This is half true,” West said. “I was stopped by a court injunction. The volunteers who had helped with the weddings set up a 501c3 called the New Paltz Equality Initiative. Mr. Cohen offered his vacant property for the weddings to former Village Trustee Julia Walsh.”
This allowed for the weddings to go forward on Cohen’s property. However, seeing as how these acts were not legal, Cohen was in potential trouble because he was involved and allowed them to happen on his property. There were several weddings done on his property, for which Mr. Cohen has said for years he is very proud,” West said. “Mr. Cohen also made sure to have souvenirs made so that he could sell them at the weddings.”
West plans on getting started right away. One of the main goals is to deal with the issue of noise within the village. “I think that late night noise is an issue we have to deal with, but I think the currently proposed noise ordinance is not the right tool to do so,” West said. “It’s even anti-business, and seems to want the village to be more like a library or a monastery than a healthy mix of college town, eco-tourism haven and arts community.”
Post by Jessica Mahoney-Cudney
Does Same Sex Marriage Have a Future?
After passing through the Assembly twice and failing twice in the Senate over the past four years, same-sex marriage is making headlines again in New York State. Since taking office in January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has publicly stated that he plans to put the issue on the agenda of this year’s legislative session. While the Governor is making strides, both sides of the controversy are considering the future of same-sex marriage in New York.
For Ginny Apuzzo, founding president and lifetime board member of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center in Kingston, the day of victory for marriage equality seems relatively near.
“I think it will absolutely pass, very likely in the next two years,” she said.
Apuzzo said that although the 2004 Jason West same-sex marriages in New Paltz raised awareness for the cause, “raising awareness is the easy part.”
She said it will still take some time for legislation to pass. Apuzzo, who was also the first openly gay person to be confirmed by the New York State Senate when she served as Commissioner and President of the New York State Civil Service Commission, said that pushing marriage equality through legislation and through the public is a process. The opposition, she said, can influence that process.
“We need to approach this issue with a clearer understanding of those in the middle,” she said. “People who are not with us, are not necessarily against us.”
In the Northeast, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire allow same-sex marriages, while New Jersey allows civil unions between same-sex couples. In January 2011, Quinnipiac University Polling Institute reported that 56 percent of New York voters supported same-sex marriage.
Responding to the Quinnipiac poll, Edward Mechmann, Public Policy Coordinator for the Family Life/Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of New York, said that the Archdiocese will continue to educate people on the definition and nature of marriage.
Mechmann said that the Archdiocese opposes any form of legislation that would allow same-sex unions to be considered marriage. The Archdiocese is part of the Catholic Church, a strong opponent of same-sex marriage.
“We expect the Governor to introduce such a bill during this session, as he has promised, and we will oppose it when he does,” Mechmann stated in an email. “We take the potential for passage of this legislation very seriously, but, given the nature of New York politics, we would hesitate to make any predictions about its likelihood.”
Mechmann did say that if a bill were to pass, the church would monitor its implementation in an effort to prevent the violation of religious liberties. He also said that the bishops of New York have stated that while the Catholic Church opposes same-sex marriage, their position should not be taken in any way as a “condemnation of homosexual people or an attack on their human dignity.”
Although there have been media reports that Governor Cuomo has met with politicians regarding same-sex marriage, there have been no definitive reports on when or if the issue will be presented in the state legislature. Until then, both sides will continue their respective fights for and against same-sex marriage.
“It will never be over until the bill is passed and signed,” Apuzzo said.
Post by Natassia Donohue
A Spiteful Run
“I’m gonna cream your ass.”
Those were the words Jason West uttered to Cohen, 54, when he found out that Cohen, an old friend, was running against him in the 2007 Mayoral election.
Four years later, Cohen and West will go head-to-head once again. Cohen said this year’s election is not all about winning, but more about keeping West out of office. He’ll do anything to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
“He didn’t even wish me luck the first time,” said Cohen, who owns a clothing company in town called the Groovy Blueberry. He will be running for the Groovy Party in this upcoming election.
In 2004, Jason West put the national spotlight on New Paltz by performing same-sex marriages outside of the village hall. Cohen and West had always been friends and Cohen said he was willing to help West for anything he needed for his campaign. During that time, Cohen allowed West to use one of his properties to perform the marriages, which Cohen says almost got him in big trouble with the district attorney.
But when a friend who was staying in an apartment owned by Cohen was evicted, West turned on Cohen and his family.
“He became very mean and rude to my wife,” said Cohen. “His friend hadn’t paid rent in four months. What was I supposed to do?”
Shortly after this debacle, Cohen started going to town meetings to learn new things about the village of New Paltz. He realized that Mayor West hadn’t been doing anything in the last two years he was in office and that the village was just running itself. He got the 140 signatures needed to be eligible to run for mayor and that’s when West confronted him in a rude manner.
One of the biggest issues Cohen has is the new noise ordinance in New Paltz. Under the proposal, any noise over 70 decibels downtown would be illegal. Noise higher than 60 decibels in residential areas would be subject to a fine. According to the New Paltz Times, Mayor West has said that he is for the new ordinance. Cohen said that West prides himself on being a “freedom loving” person.
“West wants college students on campus and not around town,” said Cohen. “I know that students are dying to get off campus and have some sort of freedom. The ordinance will limit what students can do outside of the dorm rooms and downtown. It’s not fair to them and I want them to have the freedom they deserve.”
Cohen has urged many to register to vote for the village and then visit his shop on Main Street sometime before the election and sign his petition for this year’s election. The more signatures that Cohen gets, the less chance of a West re-election.
“I will do anything in my power to keep him out of office,” Cohen said. “He doesn’t care about anyone and will do anything he has to do to better himself. You don’t want someone like that running this beautiful village.”
Post by Nick Monaco & Monica Bachmann
Q&A: Lorraine Robertson
Lorraine Robertson, townsperson of New Paltz
Main Street, New Paltz. A road frequented by Robertson
Q: How do you think people feel about New Paltz after the marriages by Jason West?
A: They don’t view our town like I think it should be, just a town that broke the laws to do something that they thought was right.
Q: How do you want the town to be viewed?
A: I want them to know that we’re an agricultural community. We’re really diverse in culture, and we have a college which really brings in a lot of different aspects and a lot of different people from different countries.
Q: So do you agree or disagree with what West did?
A: It was a time of change, but did that change do anything to change the New York state’s law? No, absolutely not. It was just a bunch of high, emotional duress for our town for a month or two and I don’t think it accomplished anything.
By: James Martin and Lindsay Amoroso
Q&A: John Greak
John Greak,
employee at Jack’s Rhythms
Q: How did you know about the marriages performed by West?
A: Some of my friends were married that day outside Village Hall.
Q: What was it like being there that day?
A: There were lots of people, and about ten news trucks because it was the lead story. This was something big happening and nobody wanted to miss it. I wasn’t surprised at the crowd though, this was going to be an event like no other here in New Paltz.
Q: How do you feel about all of that media attention?
A: I think the media attention was beneficial, everyone already knows New Paltz is whacky – not that gay marriage is whacky.
By: James Martin and Lindsay Amoroso