Council unlikely to quash veto of equal rights protections

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – Officials of Alaska’s second-largest city are expected to consider overriding the mayor’s recent veto of a measure that gave sweeping equal rights protections to the LGBTQ community.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports an action item for a vote is expected to appear on the agenda for the Fairbanks City Council at its meeting next Monday, but it’s unlikely the council will be able to muster enough votes to override the veto.

Mayor Jim Matherly last week vetoed the ordinance that extended anti-discrimination protections for employment, housing and public accommodations. The measure also provided a means for people to challenge in court the practices they believe are discriminatory.

Five votes from the six-person council are required to quash the veto. The council approved the equal rights ordinance by a 4-2 vote.
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com