EXTRA CONTENT: Whitley Fiscal Court passes resolution aimed at ending same-sex marriages

Read the complete text of the resolution by clicking here.

Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White Jr. is hoping to spark a national movement in order to pass and ratify an amendment to the United States Constitution establishing marriage as only being recognized as a union between a man and a woman in the United States of America.

White, an attorney, took the first step towards that effort Tuesday evening by asking the Whitley County Fiscal Court to approve a resolution, which asks the Kentucky General Assembly to pass legislation demanding a federal constitutional convention for the purpose of passing a constitutional amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Fiscal court members unanimously approved the resolution during their monthly meeting Tuesday night. Copies of it will be sent to the leadership of both branches of the Kentucky General Assembly and certain members of Kentucky’s Congressional delegation including Senators Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, and Dewayne Bunch, who is the 82nd District state representative elect for Whitley County.

"We will begin distributing this resolution to the other counties in Kentucky asking them to pass similar resolutions and to distribute to the legislature of Kentucky asking them to take action at their next regular session," White said after the resolution’s passage.

White said that he decided to draft the resolution after an Aug. 4 federal court decision striking down Proposition 8, which was California’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

"If it is set as established precedent by some of the higher courts, it would overturn the constitutional amendment here in Kentucky," White said. "I thought of what could be done so that the people would get the opportunity to vote on this issue at the national level, and not be overturned by the courts."

"There was a statement made by the San Francisco Mayor when the campaign for Proposition 8 was going on that no matter what the people wanted, this was going to be the law of the land that gay marriage was accepted."

White said that he is hoping to start a national movement with this effort.

"I am at least going to distribute it to all the counties in Kentucky, and the leadership of the state house and the state senate," he said.

"The people of California have voted it down. The people of Kentucky have voted it down. It is my understanding is that there are about 28 other states that have voted it down. I don’t think that should be decided in the courts. I think it should be decided by a vote of the people."

White noted that 45 states do not recognize gay marriage, including Kentucky, and that Kentucky’s traditional marriage amendment passed with a 74 percent majority.

Why does White feel so strongly about this issue?

"I don’t believe in homosexual marriage. It is against my raising and my morals," White said. "I don’t believe that this should be decided by the courts.

"I believe that this should be decided by a vote of the people, and I don’t believe that one court should be able to overturn the law of 45 states. I believe that the people ought to have their say on this issue."

34 states would have to ratify the measure for it to become a constitutional convention. To become an amendment once a constitutional convention has been called, it takes a three-fourths vote by the people of the United States or three-fourths of the states, White noted. Congress would decide which.

"They can demand that a constitutional convention be called, and ask the United States Congress to either let the people vote on this issue or let the states vote on this issue. I think that is the appropriate way for this decision to be made," White said.

The U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787 by the constitutional convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first 10 amendments to the constitution are known as the Bill of Rights.

There are currently 27 amendments to the constitution. The most recent one passed in 1992 and limits changes to Congressional pay.

The fiscal court also approved other unrelated, non-controversial measures Tuesday, including a resolution proclaiming Aug. 24, 2010, as Caleb and Melia Powers Appreciation Day in Whitley County. For over 30 years, the couple has held bluegrass and gospel music singings at their music place on Powers Branch.

The next singing is planned for Aug. 28, and White said that it is his understanding that the couple will soon be discontinuing the tradition.

The resolution notes that the couple "have made their home available for more than 30 years for performers and audiences of bluegrass music and they have provided a place for fledgling musicians to try their wings and warm encouragement for those efforts … through their bluegrass festivals they have brought internationally recognized artists to Whitley County."

White added that Bob Ingram, a local veteran, brought him the resolution asking for it to be passed just before his death a few months ago.

"Bob, before he passed away, tried to recognize somebody else. Bob was a military veteran that did a lot to serve this country," White said. "It was a terrible loss to this community to loss Bob Ingram."

Whitley Circuit Judge Dan Ballou noted that Ingram’s father was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked, and that Ingram was a child living there at the time.

Ingram later enlisted in the Navy and later became a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force.

"He was an intelligence officer, who traveled around the world of course. He came back home and retired here. He was a true patriot and a good and decent and honorable man," Ballou noted.

In other business, the fiscal court:

• Appointed Harry Siler to the Whitley County Public Library Board of Trustees to replace Marcella Mountjoy, who resigned.

• Accepted a petition to adopt Puncheon Branch Road into the county road system, and adopted Sylvia Drive, Nichols Lane, Brittany Hill Lane, Trosper Lane, Pinewood Drive, and Frechette Cemetery Road into the county road system.

• Accepted the 2010-2011 Williamsburg and Corbin Tourist and Convention Commission budgets.

• Awarded a $1,055 bid to the only bidder for a 1987 14 foot by 50 foot trailer that had previously been the home of Whitley County EMS. The fiscal court purchased the trailer in 2001 for $7,995 from Edgewood Mobile Homes.

White said that although the county had no formal appraisal on the trailer’s value, he felt like this was a fair price. Magistrate David Myers made a motion to accept the bid before the bidder had a chance to back out.

• Set employee pay rates, including one for Peggy Daniel, who was recently hired as the fiscal court’s new payroll clerk. Daniel has prior experience dealing with 150 and 400 person payrolls during her previous employments.

• Accepted the sheriff’s 2009 tax settlement and a $3,000 claim to the fiscal court for the 2009 coal and mineral tax settlement. Treasurer Jeff Gray said that he has reviewed the settlement, which is in line with the claim paid to the fiscal court last year. The settlement is still subject to audit.