Parkland Mayor Joins Others in Signing “Freedom to Marry” Statement
By Sharon Aron Baron
Parkland’s Michael Udine is the latest Broward Mayor to sign the nationwide “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” statement. This bipartisan coalition consists of Mayors around the country who pledge to support marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
Tim Ross, President of Dolphin Democrats, said, “I received a call from Michael Udine, Mayor of Parkland, informing me that he has signed the “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” statement and put it in the mail today.”
Once confirmed, his name will appear on the website alongside ten other Broward County Mayors: Pam Donovan of Margate, Ashira Mohammed of Pembroke Park, Marilyn Gerber of Coconut Creek, Judy Paul of Davie, Joy Cooper of Hallandale, Lorie Moseley of Miramar, Frank Ortis of Pembroke Pines, Anne Sallee of Oakland Park, Mike Ryan of Sunrise and Gary Resnick of Wilton Manors.
At this time, Tamarac Mayor Beth Talabisco has not signed, nor has Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan. Coral Springs Mayor Roy Gold will be bringing it before the City Commission at their next meeting.
An AP-NCC Poll in September 2010 found that a majority of Americans support the freedom to marry. Fifty-two percent of Americans say the government should recognize marriages between same-sex couples, up from 46 percent in 2009. Fifty-eight percent of Americans now say same-sex couples should be entitled to the same government benefits as married couples of the opposite sex. While legislatures and courts are grappling with the issue, the nation continues to move in favor of equality.
Allowing loving and committed couples to join in marriage has benefits not just for couples and their families—but also for society. Marriage encourages people to take responsibility for each other, provides greater security for children, and helps our country live up to its promises set forth in our founding documents. These are important values for a strong society, and we should encourage them.” – San Diego’s Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders – Chair of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry
A few cities that are notably absent from signing are Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, with large LGBT populations. Ross, who is a delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, hopes to meet with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and founder of “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry” and ask him to make a personal appeal to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler and Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober to sign the statement.
Besides Villaraigosa, Mayors from New York City, Boston, Houston, San Diego all support the statement and the other Mayors listed below.
For more information, go to Freedom to Marry.
Current Mayors that support Freedom to Marry:
Samuel Adams – Portland, OR
Matthew Appelbaum – Boulder, CO
Bruce Ahlgren – Cloquet, MN
Scott Avedisian – Warwick, RI
Tom Barrett – Milwaukee, WI
Tom Bates – Berkeley, CA
William Bell – Durham, NC
Brian Bennett – Burien, WA
David Berger – Lima, OH
Virg Bernero – Lansing, MI
Kathy Bhardwaj – Trinidad, CA
David Bing – Detroit, MI
Robert Blais – Lake George, NY
Richard Bloom – Santa Monica, CA
Michael Bloomberg – New York, NY (Chair)
Cory Booker – Newark, NJ
Bruce Botelho – Juneau, AK
Matti Bower of Miami Beach, FL
Noam Bramson – New Rochelle, NY
Ardell Brede – Rochester, MN
Michael Brennan – Portland, ME
William W. Brien, M.D. – Beverly Hills, CA
John Buchheit – Delaware City, DE
Jason Burnett – Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Stephen Buxbaum – Olympia, WA
Christopher Cabaldon – W. Sacramento, CA
Chuck Cahn – Cherry Hill, NJ
John Callahan – Bethlehem, PA
Mike Callahan – Cheverly, MD
Stephen Cassidy – San Leandro, CA
Julian Castro – San Antonio, TX
Craig Cates – Key West, FL
Mark Chilton – Carrboro, NC
Gary Christenson – Malden, MA
Joe Cicero, Jr. – Lyndhurst, OH
Joshua Cohen – Annapolis, MD
Chris Coleman – St. Paul, MN
Michael Coleman – Columbus, OH
Letitia Colombi – Haddonfield, NJ
Dennis Coombs – Longmont, CO
Joy Cooper – Hallandale Beach, FL
David Coss – Santa Fe, NM
David Coulter – Ferndale, MI
Frank Cownie – Des Moines, IA
Aron Cromwell – Lawrence, KS
Joseph Curtatone – Somerville, MA
Carolyn Cutler – Lafayette, CO
Henrietta Davis – Cambridge, MA
Victor De Luca – Maplewood, NJ
David M. DelVecchio – Lambertville, NJ
Kathie deNobriga – Pine Lake, GA
John DeStefano – New Haven, CT
Daniel Dietch – Surfside, FL
Pam Donovan – Margate, FL
Daniel T. Drew – Middletown, CT
Sara Drew – Stow, OH
James Driscoll – East Longmeadow, MA
Kimberley Driscoll – Salem, MA
Paul Dyster – Niagara Falls, NY
Jennifer Eckstrom – S. Tucson, AZ
Jane Egly – Laguna Beach, CA
Jim Ellison -Royal Oak, MI
Rahm Emanuel – Chicago, IL
John Engen – Missoula, MT
William Euille – Alexandria, VA
Paul Feiner – Greenburgh, NY
Andrew Fellows – College Park, MD
John Fetterman – Braddock, PA
Bill Finch – Bridgeport, CT
Daryl Justin Finizio – New London, CT
Drew Fixell – Tarrytown, NY
Larry Forester – Signal Hill, CA
Adam Forgie – Turtle Creek, PA
Claire Fortier – South Lake Tahoe, CA
Peter Fosselman – Kensington, MD
Bob Foster – Long Beach, CA
Mary F. Foster – Peekskill, NY
Jerry Fried – Montclair, NJ
Laura Friedman – Glendale, CA
Ava Frisinger – Issaquah, WA
Debora Fudge – Windsor, CA
Mike Gamache – Andover, MN
Margot Garant – Jefferson Village, NY
James Gaughan – Altamont, NY
Donald Gerard – Champaign, IL
Marilyn Gerber – Coconut Creek, FL
Joe Gierlach – Nederland, CO
Thomas Gillen – Oswego, NY
Marie Gilmore – Alameda, CA
Mike Gin – Redondo Beach, CA
David Glass – Petaluma, CA
Diane Goddeeris – East Lansing, MI
Chad Goerner – Princeton, NJ
Jeffrey Goldsmith – Woodcliff Lake, NJ
Elizabeth Goreham – State College, PA
J. Richard Gray – Lancaster, PA
Vincent Gray – Washington, D.C.
Sandy Green – Kutztown, PA
Paul Grenier – Berlin, NH
Alexander Gromack – Congers, NY
William Hanauer – Ossining, NY
Shep Harris – Golden Valley, MN
Pam Hartwell-Herrero – Fairfax, CA
Michael Hancock – Denver, CO
Susan Harvey – Cotati, CA
William Healy – Canton, OH
George Heartwell – Grand Rapids, MI
Sophie Heymann – Closter, NJ
John Hieftje – Ann Arbor, MI
Colleen Hilton – Westbrook, ME
Scott Hines, Rancho Mirage, CA
Jack Hoffman – Lake Oswego, OR
Rick Hoffman – Macungie, PA
Shawn Hogan – Hornell, NY
John Hollar – Montpelier, VT
Jamel Holley – Roselle, NJ
Bobby Hopewell – Kalamazoo, MI
Jennifer Hosterman – Pleasanton, CA
James Hovland – Edina, MN
Satyendra Singh Huja – Charlottesville, VA
Tim Hultmann – Long Lake, MN
Frank Jackson – Cleveland, OH
Scott Jackson – Hamden, CT
Jeffrey Jacobs – St. Louis Park, MN
Sylvester James, Jr. – Kansas City, MO
Joe Jaworski – Galveston TX
Gerald Jennings – Albany, NY
Gary Jensen – Ferndale, WA
Kevin Johnson – Sacramento, CA
Lucy Johnson – Kyle, TX
Dave Kaplan – Des Moines, WA
Mike Kasperzak – Mountain View, CA
Susan M. Kay – Weymouth, MA
Edward Kelley – Cleveland Heights, OH
Michael Kelly – Sausalito, CA
Judith Flanagan Kennedy – Lynn, MA
Judy Kennedy, City of Newburgh, NY
Bob Kiss – Burlington, VT
Nick Kitchen – Capron, VA
Mark Kleinschmidt – Chapel Hill, NC
Michael Kohut – Haverstraw, NY
Joe Krovoza – Davis, CA
Mark Kruzan – Bloomington, IN
Don Lane – Santa Cruz, CA
Timothy Leavitt – Vancouver, WA
Edwin Lee – San Francisco, CA
Lee Leffingwell – Austin, TX
Clifford Lentz – Brisbane, CA
Cindy Lerner – Pinecrest, FL
David Levy – Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Peter Lindstrom – Falcon Heights MN
Charles Lombardi – North Providence, RI
Christopher Louras – Rutland, VT
Craig Lowe – Gainesville, FL
David Lublin – Town of Chevy Chase, MD
Mary Ann Lutz – Monrovia, CA
Mike Maguire – Eagan, MN
Karen Majewski – Hamtramck, MI
Jim Maley – Collingswood, NJ
Mark Mallory – Cincinnati, OH
John Marchione – Redmond, WA
John Marks – Tallahassee, FL
A. David Marne – Shavano Park, TX
Sandy Martin – Shoreview, MN
Laura Martinez – East Palo Alto, CA
Jan Marx – San Luis Obispo, CA
Jamie Matthews – Santa Clara, CA
Joan McBride – Kirkland, WA
William McCall – Parker, PA
Ronald McDaniel – Montville, CT
Mike McGinn – Seattle, WA
Keith McGlashan – Shoreline, WA
Tim McGuire – Homewood Borough, PA
Gayle McLaughlin – Richmond, CA
Thomas Menino – Boston, MA (Chair)
Robert Mezzo – Naugatuck, CT
Michael R. Mignogna – Voorhees, NJ
Stephanie Miner – Syracuse, NY
William Moehle – Town of Brighton, NY
Ashira Mohammed – Pembroke Park, FL
Eduardo Montesino – Watsonville, CA
Gus Morrison – Fremont, CA
Alex Morse – Holyoke, MA
Sandy Moscaritolo – River Edge, NJ
Lori Moseley – Miramar, FL
Jeri Muoio – West Palm Beach, FL
Patrick Murphy – Lowell, MA
Svante Myrick – Ithaca, NY
David Narkewicz – Northampton, MA
Don Ness – Duluth, MN
Frank North – Merchantville, NJ
Gary Norton – East Cleveland, OH
Michael Nutter – Philadelphia, PA
Dennis O’Brien – Newtown, PA
Timothy O’Brien – New Britain, CT
Frank Ortis – Pembroke Pines, FL
Salvatore Panto – Easton, PA
Annise Parker – Houston, Texas (Chair)
Judy Paul – Davie, FL
Kitty Piercy – Eugene, OR
Earnestine Pittman – East Point, GA
Don Plusquellic – Akron, OH
David Pope – Oak Park, IL
Peter Porcino – Ardsley, NY
Steve Pougnet – Palm Springs, CA
Jeffrey Prang – West Hollywood, CA
Jean Quan – Oakland, CA
Luke Ravenstahl – Pittsburgh, PA
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake – Baltimore, MD
Gary Resnick – Wilton Manors, FL
Sarah Reinhardt – Spring Park, MN
Thomas Richards – Rochester, NY
Antonia Ricigliano – Edison, NJ
Daniel Rizzo – Revere, MA
Thomas Roach from White Plains, NY
Bruce Rogers, East Providence, RI
Laura Rosenthal – Malibu, CA
Jonathan Rothschild – Tucson, AZ
Clarissa Rowe – Arlington, MA
Matthew Ryan – Binghamton, NY
Michael Ryan – Sunrise, FL
RT Rybak – Minneapolis, MN
Robert Sabonjian – Waukegan, IL
Anne Sallee – Oakland Park, FL
Isaac Salver – Bay Harbor Islands, FL
Charles P. Sammarone – Youngstown, OH
Domenic Sarno – Springfield, MA
Jerry Sanders – San Diego, CA (Chair)
James Sasser – Pahokee, FL
Helene Schneider – Santa Barbara, CA
Paul Schreiber – Ypsilanti, MI
Rob Schroder – Martinez, CA
Ann Schwab – Chico, CA
Jeffrey Schwartzberg – Roslyn Estates, NY
Pedro Segarra – Hartford, CT
Nancy Seligson – Mamaroneck, NY
Elic Senter – Franklinton, NC
Jeffrey Slavin – Town of Somerset, MD
Francis G. Slay – St. Louis, MO
R. Scott Slifka – West Hartford, CT
Marjorie Sloan – Golden, CO
Bruce Smiley-Kalff – Castle Hills, TX
Brian Smith – Irvington, NY
Paul Soglin – Madison, WI
Michael Spano – Yonkers, NY
Domenick Stampone – Haledon, NJ
Greg Stanton – Phoenix, AZ
Philip K. Stoddard – South Miami, FL
Marilyn Strickland – Tacoma, WA
Mike Summers – Lakewood, OH
Michael Sweeney – Hayward, CA
Peter Swiderski – Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Brad Tabke – Shakopee, MN
Michael Tautznik – Easthampton, MA
Angel Taveras – Providence, RI
Jill Techel – Napa, CA
Nick Tell – Manhattan Beach, CA
Elizabeth Tisdahl – Evanston, IL
Alex Torpey – South Orange, NJ
Julie Van Domelen – Lyons, CO
Antonio Villaraigosa – Los Angeles, CA (Chair)
Randolph Voller, Pittsboro, NC
Dayne Walling – Flint, MI
Charlotte Warren – Hallowell, ME
Setti Warren – Newton, MA
Shelley Welsch – University City, MO
Jason West – New Paltz, NY
Jennifer West – Emeryville, CA
Dianne White – Stanwood, WA
Jen Laird White – Nyack, NY
Libby White – Doylestown, PA
Bruce Williams – Takoma Park, MD
Dana Williams – Park City Park, UT
Guy Wilson – Sebastopol, CA
Michael Winkler – Arcata, CA
Pete Worthington – Marathon, FL
Yiaway Yeh – Palo Alto, CA
Jayne Young – Landsdowne, PA
Dawn Zimmer – Hoboken, NJ