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Speakers press commissioners to pursue countywide nondiscrimination ordinance; solicitor researching options
Summary
Speakers urged the board to adopt a countywide nondiscrimination ordinance to avoid a municipal patchwork of protections; county solicitor is preparing research for the commissioners.
Public commenters at the Sept. 3 Lackawanna County meeting urged the commissioners to pursue a countywide nondiscrimination ordinance to ensure consistent protections across municipal lines.
Andrew Payne of Old Forge described specific cases on a single street where neighbors on different sides of the road are subject to different municipal protections, saying that civil-rights safeguards should not depend on which municipality a resident lives in. Alec Walker Serrano, who volunteers in Lackawanna County, described canvassing in Taylor and relayed accounts of individuals, including transgender residents and people with unstable housing histories, who have experienced housing discrimination.
County Solicitor Frederickson, the commissioners said, is preparing a legal memorandum for Commissioners Chermack and Cermak that examines the scope and legality of a county-level ordinance. No formal action was taken at the Sept. 3 meeting; commissioners said they expect the solicitor’s research will inform any subsequent steps.
Speakers and commissioners framed the proposal as protecting groups on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, disability, and housing status, and asked that the county consider protections for unhoused residents. Commissioners committed to reviewing the solicitor’s research once it is complete.
