DID LARRIER'S ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE STANCE AFFECT HER VOTE?

A look at this week's election results finds an interesting division among those who voted for the eventual winners, Mayor Vic De Luca and TC Member India Larrier. 

Did Larrier's opposition to gay marriage have something to do with her getting some 1,200 fewer votes?

The latest tally is below:

Vic De Luca……………………...4,997      45.27%

India Larrier…………………….3,770      34.16%

Kurt Kiley………………………..1,196     10.84%

Angel “Bob” Perez…………....1,060      9.60%

That means Larrier, a fellow incumbent Democrat, got more than 1,200 fewer votes than De Luca.  

That is a sharp difference from her showing three years ago when she first ran with De Luca and received only 129 fewer votes than the mayor:

2011

Vic De Luca…………………………….....3,149        39.45%

India Larrier……………………………...3,020        37.84%

Bart Albini………………………………...908           11.38%

Joel Ziegler………………………………..872          10.9%

One wonders if Larrier's failure to get many of the voters who cast ballots for De Luca is due to voters seeking another candidate, perhaps Kiley or Perez. 

Could it have something to do with Larrier's anti-gay marriage stance?

As was reported weeks ago at Village Green, Larrier and De Luca revealed they were not campaigning together because of her stance against gay marriage.

She said at the time:

“The issue is this. I believe everyone should be treated with respect and dignity – regardless of what they believe, and ‘different’ doesn’t mean ‘less than.’ Maplewood is great because it is diverse on so many levels and in so many ways. Because of my faith, I also I believe that God is God and God made marriage. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman — because, God made marriage and that’s what His word says about it. However, none of these beliefs are assumed — in fact, just the opposite would be assumed — if the Mayor and I ran together. For this reason, so there would be some separation of stance, I chose to run separately. 

“I support the Mayor’s candidacy, and believe we have, in broad strokes, similar ideas and views.  However, on this personal issue, we do not.”

We reached out to her again this week and she declined to comment further.

Since her comments against gay marriage were not revealed until well after some candidates forums were held, and unfortunately after our own questionnaires were submitted, this was not an issue that it perhaps should have been.

For a member of the Township Committee in Maplewood to be so anti-gay marriage, especially at a time when Maplewood has become a great outward force for same-sex marriages -- including holding its own day of celebration last year that included a mass gay wedding presided over by Mayor De Luca -- is disappointing at least, embarrassing at worst.

Larrier's views on gay rights and gay marriage likely affect her position on township issues, which will include domestic partner benefits, gay marriage ceremonies and perhaps other issues of equality. 

As a woman of color, it is even more appalling to see her accept and promote such inequality when African-Americans have been treated with such inequality in the past, and still in the present in many cases.

We apologize for not doing more to report on Larrier's anti gay marriage views and making them more of a campaign issue than they were. Her positions are unacceptable and not worthy of someone representing our community.