Nov 16, 2017 By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read

With only a few more meetings remaining in his tenure as a Mt. Lebanon commissioner, David Brumfield made an announcement.

“This might be my happiest vote in my eight years here.”

The commission president, who did not seek re-election following two terms of representing Ward 4, proceeded to do his part Nov. 14 to adopt unanimously a municipal ordinance regulating discrimination in all matters involving employment, housing and use of public accommodations.

Ward 3 Commissioner Stephen McLean was not present – he has requested a leave of absence because of a health issue – but is “also a staunch supporter of this motion,” Brumfield said.

The ordinance also establishes a Mt. Lebanon Human Rights Commission and provides for remedies for violations.

The commission at the time took a similar step half a century ago by establishing the Mt. Lebanon Community Relations Board in response to a League of Women Voters study that “revealed discriminatory attitudes” in housing, according to the municipal website. The board continues to address a variety of issues through initiatives while “fulfilling its original mission of seeing that laws pertaining to human rights are upheld.”

As for the newly adopted ordinance, Brumfield acknowledged that the concept met with some resistance, as expressed in a Sept. 25 public hearing.

“I want to reference them, but not in any negative way, because I thought, without exception, everyone who spoke out against this did so civilly, respectfully and just a difference in perspective,” he said. “Even those who questioned our decision to do this were not doing it out of hate, were not doing it out of any sense to hurt or discriminate.

“But I think that’s exactly why we need it, because even those people, as good as they were and as well-intentioned as they were, they don’t understand,” Brumfield continued. “There is a profound difference in being distinct, being unique, being separated.”

Impetus for the ordinance began with reports of identity-based or hate-related incidents a year ago in and around Mt. Lebanon, which in turn spurred a well-attended unity rally in December.

“We’ve had instances in this town that we’re ashamed occurred here,” Brumfield said, “and before today, we didn’t have the thing to put out to everyone who questioned us: ‘Is that everybody in Mt. Lebanon?’ Until today, we didn’t have anything to point to and say, ‘No. No, it’s not.'”

Ward 5 Commissioner Kelly Fraasch expressed her pride in the community’s willingness to “accept those who not only are residents, but those who are visiting our area, and know that they are safe, that they’re accepted and included in everything we do. We will enact this together and stand up for everyone.”

Steve Silverman, Ward 2 commissioner, also addressed his reasons for supporting the measure.

“Being Jewish, we understand being excluded, whether or not it was from the time where you could only work at a certain law firm,” he said. “You could only work at a certain hospital, or that sort of thing. So it’s a certain appreciation of what it means to be excluded, and I’m proud to be voting for the inclusion that’s in voting for this ordinance.”

Ward 1 Commissioner John Bendel complimented the team that developed the ordinance.

“Fundamentally, it’s just the right thing to do.”