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Sheltra Leads Attack on Civil Unions Law
MONTPELIER – Nancy Sheltra is fighting Vermont’s new civil union law on several new fronts, from the political campaign trail to the courtroom.
The Republican state representative from Derby has organized a political action committee dedicated to recruiting candidates who oppose the law granting marriage benefits to gay and lesbian couples. It will raise money for candidates and recruit those who oppose civil unions.
And she also is part of a group that has filed a curious lawsuit seeking to overturn the law because a handful of state representatives were part of an informal betting pool during the March debate. The pool was about how many votes the bill would receive.
She’s even offered to help a town clerk who opposes civil unions to find legal advice about how to avoid having to issue licenses, as required by the law.
Sheltra’s not the only one trying to raise money to help candidates in this fall’s elections, though. The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force also has formed a political action committee so it can play a role in the elections.
The committee is raising money to help candidates who support civil unions. It is also keeping its grassroots network across the state active to help draw out votes and campaign volunteers during the September primary and the November general election.
Sheltra has been one of the most outspoken critics of gay marriage – and now of civil unions – for at least three years. She said she formed STARS, Standing Together and Reclaiming the State, because she believed lawmakers had ignored the will of the people.
“The goal of STARS is to educate the people of Vermont on how they can take back the reins of power from those who abused it by passing the civil union bill,” Sheltra said. “So many people are disgusted by what happened - and this November the voters will have their say about our state legalizing homosexual marriage.”
Sheltra has recruited the son of Randall Terry, the prominent anti-abortion activist who became a lightning rod when he came to Vermont over the winter to oppose gay marriage, to serve on her board.
In addition to Jamiel Terry, the board includes state Rep. Neil Randall, a Libertarian from Bradford, and Sheltra’s sons, Andrew, 25, and Matt, 17.
Both Sheltra and Terry said they expected to draw salaries from the committee. Terry said he hoped to raise at least $50,000, and Sheltra said she expected 30 legislative candidates to run under the STARS banner.
To be accepted in Sheltra’s group, though, candidates will have to agree to four criteria, she said:
“They must agree to repeal civil unions.
“They must agree to impeach (Vermont Supreme Court) justices.
“They must be pro-life.
“They must support” constitutional amendments that would define marriage as a union between one man and woman, and that would prohibit the benefits of marriages from being granted to unmarried couples.
But the political action committee isn’t all that Sheltra is working on during her spare time away from the Legislature. She is one of the plaintiffs who sued seeking to overturn the law based on the betting pool.
The plaintiffs allege a House betting pool gave lawmakers a conflict of interest, and that 14 supporters should have been disqualified from voting on the measure.
“If the members engaged in the betting pools were disqualified from voting, the outcome of the vote in the House would have been different and the bill would have been defeated,” the lawsuit says.
On the day of the betting pool, the bill received preliminary approval on a vote of 76-69.
The lawsuit also claims that state Rep. William Lippert had a conflict of interest and should have been disqualified from voting on the bill. The suit does not elaborate on the conflict, but it apparently refers to the fact that Lippert is the only openly gay member of the Vermont Legislature.
The originator of the betting pool, Rep. Ann Seibert, D-Norwich, said she had made an error in judgment but called the lawsuit silly.
“Anyone who thinks that would have changed the vote really has no grasp on reality,” Seibert said.
Although a Washington County judge refused to grant a preliminary injunction against the civil union law on June 26, the group has refiled, claiming harm to town clerks who face fines or imprisonment for resfusing to issue civil union licenses.