Santa Fe Central Committee Backs Pullout of Troops in Iraq and Gay Marriage

From and article in the Santa Fe New Mexican by Steve Terrell:

While the war in Iraq and gay marriage divide Democrats on the national level, Santa Fe County party members are unified on these issues.

More than 200 local Democrats attending the 2005 meeting of their county party's Central Committee voted nearly unanimously Monday to back resolutions calling for a pullout of American troops in Iraq by June 2006 and for the right of homosexuals to marry.

The Democrats also voted overwhelmingly to back a resolution calling for tougher restrictions on payday loans. The issue of payday loans was one that divided Democratic lawmakers in the recent session of the Legislature.
[. . .]
Local Democratic activist Charlotte Roybal was cheered after she read the Iraq resolution, which said, "Our occupation and the associated violence in Iraq has increased recruitment by terrorist organizations intent on attacking the U.S."

The resolution passed by a voice vote with only one voting no.

The Iraq resolution puts on record the county party's opposition to "the continued military occupation of Iraq" and says the federal government should immediately start planning to withdraw.

"The plan should specify a target date for the completion of the withdrawal," the resolution says. "The target date should be no later than June 2006."
[. . .]
The gay marriage resolution "directs each and every legislator who is a member of the Democratic Party to vote against any and all legislation that seeks to reduce or destroy the civil rights of people in New Mexico who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgender."

Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano argued in favor of the resolution. "This is the civil-rights movement of this generation," he said. "We need to take a stand."

Only one person argued -- and voted -- against the resolution. "We should leave this matter up to the state representatives," he said.

(Click the link at the top of this post to read the entire article. Click to read the text of the LGBT rights resolution passed by the Santa Fe County Democratic Party.)