BELFAST – On April 4, the local group, BelFem, introduced a four-page resolve to the Belfast City Council declaring a city of tolerance. While the council agreed with the document’s basic tenets, the members each said it was too specific and required work before the city would consider adopting a resolution. One councilor said the proposed resolution was partisan and needed to condense to one paragraph.

Nicolle Littrell and Lindsey Piper, as well as others in BelFem, took turns reading the proposed resolution at the podium, and stressed that the the document was intended to take the long view. It was not, they said, reactionary to the nation’s current presidential administration. BelFem was founded a year ago, they said.

Littrell cited other Midcoast municipalities, including Appleton and Rockland, that have adopted welcoming resolutions.

“We see this document as a template for other groups who wish to address and work on areas and issues noted in this resolution,” said Littrell.

While Belfast is welcoming, and has civil rights laws, they don’t manifest for all within the city’s culture, said Littrell.

BelFem members and the Council talked about the proposed resolution for approximately 30 minutes, and agreed in the end to possibly work together on refining the document.

“I support the concept very much,” said Councilor Neil Harkness, after the document had been read aloud.

But, he advocated for a broader statement of ideals.

“I like the idea of a statement of inclusivity and tolerance,” he said.

He cited specific organizations mentioned in the document. For a council that decides annually which nonprofits will receive city funds, publicly listing the soup kitchen and New Hope for Women would give those groups an unfair advantage, he suggested.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That Belfast will strive to main our commitment to supporting independent organizations and programs that provide important services for our citizens, including public transportation, home weathering programs, the Soup Kitchen and New Hope for Women. As a community, we will continue working to proactively address and reduce poverty, homelessness, domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual assault and elder violence. We will build on our existing efforts to increase access in our community to those with disabilities;

(Watch the complete city council presentation here: http://belfastme.swagit.com/play/04042017-1922)

Councilor John Arrison said he appreciated the work that went into drafting the resolve.

“I support the foundational work here,” he said, and suggested it be streamlined.

Councilor Eric Sanders said he supports the idea and thoughts, but the resolve as currently written is too detailed. He offered to work with the group presenting in editing the document.

Councilor Mary Mortier also cited the resolves of Appleton and Rockland, and said they were more general in their statements.

“I, too, would like to continue the conversation but would like broader statements,” she said.

Councilor Mike Hurley said the document, as written, was partisan and was not needed in Belfast. He said he did not disagree with the ideas, but with the notion of pledging to certain statements.

“I feel like I’m being dragged to make a pledge, and if I don’t make that pledge, then I’m in opposition to these thoughts,” he said. “I take umbrage with that.”

Hurley said: “One hundred percent, I’m in the resistance. I’m not going to support a resolution like this because I think that’s going to further divide Belfast rather than unify it. This resolve would further push people apart rather than tell people that they are included. I think to anybody that feels that they are ever threatened, they’ve come to the right town to be protected. Resolve or no resolve, we have a lot of machinery in place to protect people.” “it will further divide Belfast rather than unify it. It will push people apart rather than tell people that they are included. Resolve or no resolve, we have a lot machinery to protect people.”

He said later in the meeting: “Could I support a simple inclusive resolve? Yes I could.”

He suggested boiling it down to one paragraph.

“Then there is something there that can include everybody and not divide us,” he said.

This city is welcoming, said Mayor Walter Ash, going back to the 1970s when the back the earth people arrived.

Though no member of council outright refused the resolve’s intention, each took issue with wording, the singling out of specific organizations, the addition of other beliefs not directly associated with public tolerance, and the document’s length.

“There are a few paragraphs that cross over into other people’s territories that we just have no control over,” Councilor Mortier said.

One such example comes from a paragraph vowing to educate “our students to be climate-literate citizens.”

FURTHER RESOLVED, That climate change is real and is a present and tangible threat to national security, economic stability, water and food security, and the safety of the world's poor and disenfranchised. It also presents an opportunity to build just, healthy, and restorative systems. In this midcoast Maine city of vibrant outdoor public spaces and a working waterfront, science matters. We will continue our work in the following areas: building towards energy independence, reducing carbon emissions, strengthening our local economy while stewarding natural resources--as well as increasing access to public transportation, expanding and strengthening our local food networks, educating our students to be climate-literate citizens, insulating our homes, rejecting fossil fuel infrastructure projects, and taking all other possible actions to protect future generations; 

Mayor Walter Ash, Jr. told Littrell and Piper that he’d marked ‘Yes’ in various different places on his copy of the document. However, he did express issues with the resolve stating that black lives matter.

“You know what?” he said. “All lives matter to me. Black, blue, green....whatever color they are. Doesn’t matter. All lives matter. I hate singling out one group of people. We had a young lady speak, just before you, who was from a different country. Her life matters.”

In response to all concerns addressed, Littrell and Piper agreed to corrections to some wording, but remained steadfast on others.

“When we talk about education, we are talking about a responsibility, a commitment of our city to educate our young people around climate-related and environmental issues,” Littrell said.

As to the partisan sentiment, Littrell said that the resolve was not about Trump. According to her, the issues existed before the president was elected.

“This is not about Trump, specifically,” Littrell said. “I think we can all agree that many of the issues that we address here were there long before, and that our intentions here extend long after Donald Trump is president.”

In summary, Littrell said Belfast is already a welcoming community in many respects, yet said that the principles already in use don’t represent the experiences of all individuals.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com