Aug 15, 2008  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO JR  | COMMENTS     

D.C. Council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Carol Schwartz (R-At-Large) this week received ratings on gay-related issues of +10 and +9 respectively from the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance, the highest ratings the group issued for Council candidates running in the city’s Sept. 9 primary.

And in a development likely to surprise some Democratic activists, GLAA assigned Ward 8 Council member and former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry a +3.5 rating, despite Barry’s reputation in the 1980s
and 1990s as one of the nation’s most gay-supportive mayors.

GLAA, a non-partisan gay advocacy group, rates candidates on mostly gay- and AIDS-related issues using a scale of -10 to +10 based on candidates’ responses to a detailed questionnaire as well as their records and actions on gay-related issues.

GLAA Vice President Rick Rosendall said Barry’s rating was based, in part, on the former mayor’s stated position on the questionnaire opposing legal recognition of same-sex marriage and an overall lack of depth and detail in his responses on other issues in the questionnaire. Other than the marriage issue, Barry expressed support for nearly all other issues deemed important by GLAA.

Barry’s marriage response on the GLAA questionnaire comes in contrast to his statement on the subject at a recent meeting of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, in which Barry said he would vote for a same-sex marriage bill if such a bill were to come before the Council.

The Stein Club endorsed Barry’s re-election bid, citing his strong record on gay rights during his tenure as mayor as well as his overall support for gay rights as a Council member.

“Do you support legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex?” the GLAA questionnaire asks.

“No,” Barry says in response. “I support civil unions and domestic partnerships.”

Barry said through a spokesperson that he opposes same-sex marriage on religious grounds, but would vote for a marriage bill if it came before the Council.

The spokesperson, Andre Johnson, said Barry considers the issue similar to his position on abortion. He opposes abortion, but thinks women should have a right to choose.

The group assigned a rating of +8.5 to Carry Silverman, Evans’ Democratic primary opponent, highlighting what some Ward 2 observers are calling Evans’ most serious challenge since he first won his seat on the Council in 1991.

Evans, whose ward includes some of the city’s most concentrated gay neighborhoods, including Dupont Circle, is viewed by most gay activists as one of the Council’s strongest supporters of gay rights.

Silverman’s supporters, who acknowledge that Evans’ record on gay rights is excellent, point to Silverman’s contention that Evans has not paid sufficient attention in recent years to quality of life issues in the ward. Evans disputes that assertion, saying he has pushed for neighborhood projects and programs throughout the ward, noting that most neighborhood leaders are backing his re-election bid.

Kwame Brown (D-At-Large) received a +6.5 rating from GLAA in his race in the at-large Democratic primary. Brown has been a strong supporter of gay rights but lost points in the GLAA rating due to his opposition to legislation providing certain liquor law exceptions to help relocate gay clubs displaced by the new baseball stadium.

GLAA gave Schwartz’s primary opponent, Republican newcomer Patrick Mara, a rating of +2. The group cited his lack of a record on gay issues and failure to provide substantive answers on the questionnaire, even though Mara also agreed with nearly all issues deemed important by GLAA. He said he supports legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

Similar to Silverstein, Mara represents Schwartz’s first serious primary challenge during her own lengthy tenure on the Council. Although Schwartz has received strong support from Democratic voters, including gay Democrats, in the November general elections, some political observers say her status this year among the small pool of registered Republican voters who will decide her fate in the Sept. 9 primary is uncertain.

Mara has criticized Schwartz for not supporting Mayor Adrian Fenty’s school takeover program, which Fenty has said is needed to reform the city’s troubled school system. A number of key local business groups are backing Mara and making large contributions to his campaign, in part, because of Schwartz’s support for employee benefits legislation that the groups claim is anti-business.

Schwartz disputes Mara’s criticism, calling him a candidate for “special interests” in the city.

If Schwartz wins the primary, as many political observers expect, she will likely face two pro-gay independents in the general election, attorney and Ward 1 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Dee Hunter and businessman and former Democratic Party leader Michael Brown.

In other races, GLAA gave Ward ...