Politics & Government

Easton Approves Benefits for Same Sex Partners

Ordinance for gay and lesbian employees goes into effect January 1, 2012

Easton has become the fifth city in Pennsylvania to offer same-sex partnership benefits to its employees.

City council voted unanimously Wednesday night for the ordinance, which provides the partners of gay and lesbian employees with the same benefits as the husbands and wives of heterosexual workers.

Although city officials the ordinance to apply to only a small number of employees, the vote nonetheless got a standing ovation from the audience, who said council was setting a good example for other communities.

Find out what's happening in Eastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Easton is going to look like a huge light at the end of the tunnel for civil rights in the Lehigh Valley," Adrian Shanker of the Pennsylvania Diversity Network, told council.

Liz Bradbury, executive director of the Diversity Network, praised Easton "for not only saying it’s a progressive city where everbody is welcome…but acting on it."

Find out what's happening in Eastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Jill Zando-Dennis, a West Ward resident, told council they were providing city employees with something other workers in don't always get. She said her partner isn't eligible for Zando-Dennis' pension.

"It's a very bitter pill to swallow to not have the same benefits of the people you’re working with," she said.

Council members say the vote gives Easton a reputation as a forward-looking city.

"When I talk to friends from college or graduate school from when I lived in New York…they think 'Oh Pennsyltucky, I can’t believe you live there,'" Councilwoman Elinor Warner said. "Maybe if they read about this they’ll understand why I live here."

The ordinance goes into effect January 1, 2012. Mayor Sal Panto will sign it into law at a special ceremony at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 6, in Centre Square.

In other business, council approved a lease with a company called Streetsmart Technology, which will bring new .

Councilman Jeffrey Warren, who held a hearing in March on the issue, said he recognizes that residents are hesitant about the meters, but also argued that "we’ve been stagnant for awhile in this area."

This is something the city has been discussing a lot in the past few months. The mayor in some aspects of its parking, for example, charging more to park in the city's parking garage than on the street.

Councilman Roger Ruggles objected to one aspect of the smart meters: the way the meters reset after a driver pulls out of a space.

"I think that’s thivery. I think the city is stealing that money from me," Ruggles said.

"Nobody’s making you move your car," Warner told him.

Panto said it's possible to install the meters without that feature, and that it's something the city can look at before they're implemented. The city is also looking at putting meters that could accept coins, cash and cards at the lot on Third Street, the mayor said.


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