Mayor’s veto of anti-discrimination protections stands

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – Officials of Alaska’s second-largest city have agreed to a cooling-off period before discussing options for a vetoed local law that would have given sweeping equal rights protections to the LGBTQ community.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the Fairbanks City Council did not muster enough votes Monday to overturn Mayor Jim Matherly’s veto of the ordinance that would have extended anti-discrimination protections for employment, housing and public accommodations.

Overriding the veto required five votes from the six-person council. The council had passed the original ordinance on a 4-2 vote.

In vetoing the measure earlier this month, Matherly said he wanted to put the issue to voters.

The council decided Monday to pause discussion on the matter.

The council faces a July deadline for putting anything on October’s ballot.
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com