Politics & Government
Senator Blames Marriage Equality Issue for 'Worst Ever' Session
A Maryland senator said colleagues were sidetracked by same-sex marriage issues throughout the session.
Maryland Sen. John C. Astle (D-30th District) called the recent general assembly the worst he’s ever been involved in, blaming the marriage equality bill for sidetracking other discussions.
Astle, of Annapolis, spoke to a crowd of about a dozen at the monthly Arnold Preservation Council meeting on Wednesday at Asbury United Methodist Church.
"Of the 30 sessions I've been through, this was probably the worst one,” Astle said. “The outcome was not good, the entire general assembly looked pretty bad to the rest of the state."
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Astle is a military veteran who has been involved in the state senate since 1995, and before that was in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1983-1995.
He said the state's fiscal year 2013 budget predicated on cuts and last-minute decisions, and criticized Gov. Martin O'Malley for prioritizing the marriage equality bill over other issues.
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"A lot of the emotional energy being expended early in the session was over that [marriage equality] bill. So a lot of things got set aside for that," he said.
The senator said prior to voting on the bill, Catherine O’Malley invited him to her home, where in front of the O'Malley family, she berated him for his stance on the marriage equality bill.
"I told her that I couldn't vote for it, because I had made a commitment to the Catholic Conference that I would support their position," Astle said. "But that's how hard they were working it. They were inviting people over for a beer at the mansion with the first family. That doesn't happen often. And I haven't been back over there since."
A new poll by Marylanders for Marriage Equality indicates 57 percent of Maryland residents would support the same-sex marriage bill if it were placed on a referendum. Petitioners must gather 55,736 signatures before June 30 to get the issue on the November general election ballot.
Astle said if that happens, he believes Maryland voters will reject the legislation.
"I think there's a good chance that if it gets on the ballot that the people of Maryland won't sustain it. It's a close call, but we'll see,” he said.
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