After over a year of discussion and re-writing, the Community for All resolution in Marathon County has failed to pass.
It was defeated in an 18-18 tie after more than 90 minutes of discussion, with both sides making one last impassioned plea for their case
Board Chairman Kurt Gibbs waited until everyone else had spoken their minds before he took his turn, expressing his frustration with how the issue has divided the county and the board.
Gibbs says he was on the fence but after re-reading the resolution a few times and hearing the input he decided to vote yes.
“Because if you read the resolution, what does it do? It recognizes each and every one of you out there in Marathon County”
Gibbs says the amount of misinformation about the measure was troubling, as the resolution simply recognizes everyone in Marathon County and has no ill intentions or hidden agenda.
“There’s been arguments that this is the precedent for future action, and I say to that… we will discuss those future actions when they come up, as this board has always done.”
The vote required a simple majority, so the 18-18 deadlock goes down as a defeat.
The chair of Marathon County’s Diversity Affairs Commission says there are no current plans to bring forward another reworked resolution.
