Around 300 people showed up for the regularly scheduled meeting of Board of Alderman and Mayor for the city of Franklin last night, which is uncommon.
The large crowd that gathered witnessed the culmination of months of debate and opposition concerning a single item on the board’s agenda: whether they would be granting the permit that had been requested by Franklin Pride to hold their annual Pride-Fest, which is scheduled for early June of this year.
The work session which began at 5pm consisted mostly of public comment where many residents had the ability to come and voice their opposition or support for the event. The group of 106 total residents that spoke consisted of approximately 40% for granting the permit, and 60% against, as a rough estimate.
It was evident that the number of people who attended had swelled significantly from the meeting in late March, when the vote was postponed pending a discussion regarding a resolution proposed by Alderman Beverly Berger (R-Ward1) that might have had an impact on the event had it been adopted.
After several hours of public comment, and much discussion between the board and Mayor Ken Moore, a vote was finally taken up at around 7:30 pm.
Brandy Blanton Alderman At Large, who was in attendance at last year’s function and read a proclamation in place of Mayor Moore, celebrating “the day and the community” voted to grant the permit. For those who did not want their children exposed to any potentially harmful displays, her advice was simply, “don’t take them”.
