MARCANO: Waynesville council members who backed intolerance need to tell their constituents why

Last month, council refused to appoint village resident David Nation to a vacant seat because he’s a gay man who supports diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Nation was the only candidate to submit an application by the July 10 deadline. When no others applied, the council sought out other candidates and appointed someone else on July 31.

Councilman Chris Colvin, in minutes from the Waynesville council meeting, said he couldn’t support Nation because he’s a founding member of the Rainbow Alliance ERG, a LGBTQ+ advocacy group that supports DEI. (The Buckeye Flame was the first to report the story).

After the council extended the deadline, Nation, a well-respected community member who serves on a group designed to preserve the villages’ history, collected another 100 signatures from community members supporting his candidacy. That didn’t sway council. Colvin, in the minutes, said that the views of a “subset” of voters don’t matter because council alone makes the appointment.

So in a 4-2 vote, council told the world it doesn’t want a gay man in leadership and then told a significant portion of its citizens it could care less what they think. No surprise, but all council members that could be reached didn’t have the fortitude to answer additional questions.

That is pure, unadulterated cowardice and unbecoming of elected officials.

The four members who backed intolerance need to stand up and tell their constituents why they believe it’s OK to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation. And where does their bigotry stop? What if a Black person applies for a position or job in the village? What about someone who has had gender reassignment? What about a single mom?

Colvin couched his objection to his anti-DEI stance. He said he’s concerned about DEI policies being advocated for in the village, and falsely noted that 30 states including Ohio have “taken steps” to “remove” DEI, as if it was a sharp hangnail causing pain.

Even more hypocritical — Colvin said the Rainbow Alliance DEI stance disqualifies Nation. Taking that “guilt by association” stance one-step further, Colvin should be disqualified from council because the company he works for has a strong DEI commitment.

Only three states in the country — Utah, Texas and Tennessee — have so far banned DEI initiatives, according to NBC News. It’s true that several dozen states have introduced anti-DEI measures, but that’s a long way from passing.

Waynesville has shown the folly of the crusade to kill DEI, which embraces all viewpoints and life experiences. The village decided Nation’s background and outlook on issues doesn’t matter because he’s gay.

This sort of behavior can harm a small town in ways shortsightedness can’t see. If a group decided to protest, is Waynesville prepared for the commotion? How long can village officials hide behind their silence as more media covers their actions? How will merchants who depend on a welcoming environment feel if they lose money because some customers stop showing up?

Waynesville hasn’t just insulted the LGBTQ+ community it thinks it can discard as easily as a gum wrapper. It’s insulted the 100 people who wanted Nation to serve and represent their interest. In a small village of less than 3,000 people, that means they’ve denigrated the neighbors they see at the local pizza parlor, antique store, and school performances.

Nation says he plans to run for council in November 2025. That’s when voters can make their voices heard. Elect a man who serves his community and soldiers on despite disrespect from short-sighted people of prejudice. Maybe Waynesville can find three more fair and open-minded people to lead the village and start to scrub way the council’s ugly stain.

That’s going to take a lot of elbow grease.

Ray Marcano’s column appears on these pages each Sunday.