| Page 2 of 2 < |
Metro Board Member Fired for Comment on Gays
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
The board is made up of six voting members and six alternates. Maryland, the District and Virginia each appoint two voting and two alternate members. The board has a vacancy for an alternate D.C. member to fill the spot of Dan Tangherlini, who became the agency's interim general manager this year.
After Smith's removal from the board, Graham complimented Ehrlich for his swift action. "The governor appreciated the seriousness of this problem," he said.
After the meeting, Smith accused Graham, a D.C. Council member, of using "high theater" to seek the media spotlight. He called his actions "highly out of order and inappropriate for this forum."
Smith said he has always supported the transit agency's policy against all forms of discrimination.
Asked whether he planned to apologize to Graham after Graham said the remarks were offensive, Smith replied: "I didn't make the comments to Mr. Graham. . . . I'm sorry he feels that way. I don't agree that his lifestyle is an appropriate way to lead one's life."
Smith's comments drew an immediate negative reaction from Dennis Jaffe, chairman of the Riders Advisory Council, who has been working with Smith the past several months on a committee to improve MetroAccess, the transit service for the disabled.
"I know how dedicated Bob Smith is, but his comments that homosexuals are sexual deviants are most unfortunate and reflect poorly on Metro as an agency," Jaffe said.
In an e-mail sent to all Metro employees yesterday, Tangherlini said he wanted to take the opportunity "to re-affirm to all . . . employees that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated."
Smith said he has been a regular panelist on the weekly political round-table show, "21 This Week," telecast on Access Montgomery cable Channel 21, for the past 12 years. He appears as a "Republican activist," according to Rodney Bryant, the show's producer.
On last weekend's show, Smith interrupted another speaker who was talking about federalism and Vice President Cheney's daughter. The speaker said Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, would not want the government interfering in her life, according to a recording of that portion of the show.
"That's fine, that's fine," Smith interrupted. "But that doesn't mean that government should proffer a special place of entitlement within the laws of the United States for persons of sexual deviancy."
Staff researchers Rena Kirsch and Meg Smith contributed to this report.
