EASTON — For the third consecutive meeting, Easton residents filled town council chambers to express opinions on council rhetoric regarding last month’s Delmarva Pride Festival, Pride banners and the LGBTQ+ community.
Council President Frank Gunsallus originally came under scrutiny for comments made at a May 20 council meeting. At that meeting, he said the Pride flag was “antithetical to America” and questioned whether town funds should support downtown Pride banners.
Richard Potter, the president of Talbot County’s NAACP branch, told Gunsallus on Monday that his office will send the council vice president a letter requesting a meeting this week.
“We found the rhetoric from this council troublesome,” Potter said. “We found the information resembling that of the Jim Crow era.”
“That rhetoric when I heard it, coming from members of the council, it was disturbing,” resident Rudy Reyes said Monday. “I did feel unsafe.
“I’m also scared. I think a lot of people, especially after the May 20 meeting, are scared. A lot of people don’t want to come up here in front of the council to address some of the things that were said.”
The June 3 meeting was the first of three highly-attended meetings in which residents pushed back on Gunsallus’ comments. That is also when Ward 3 Council Member David Montgomery claimed there is a present “danger to our community from promotion of (the) transexual ideology.”
At the subsequent June 17 meeting, Mayor Megan Cook, along with many residents, denounced Montgomery’s comments.
On Monday, numerous residents spoke in support of Montgomery.
“I feel that we have devolved into a me against you and you against me,” resident Anne Cerutti said. “ … I saw nothing wrong with what Mr. Gunsallus and Mr. Montgomery had said.”
Resident Judi Esola thanked Montgomery and Gunsallus for “being free.” “I think we’re afraid of being conservative,” Esola added.
Montgomery said Monday’s meeting was “a much more congenial atmosphere” than the June 17 meeting, in which one resident called on him and Gunsallus to resign.
“I appreciate those who have spoken on both sides, but in particular hearing the emphasis that these are opinions, these are points of view,” Montgomery said.
FESTIVAL PERMIT
In January, Gunsallus and Montgomery each voted against a permit for this year’s third annual Delmarva Pride Festival in downtown Easton. Kyle O’Donnell, chair of the Delmarva Pride Center, told council members Monday that he has filed for a public assembly permit for 2025.
He said the center is committed to continuing the “family-friendly event,” adding that he would like to see the council return to the unanimous, bipartisan support for the permit it had in 2022 and 2023.
“If you cannot bring yourself to vote yes for this public assembly permit, to vote yes for freedom, consider casting a respectful abstention,” O’Donnell said.
Residents on both sides spoke out during the public comment section.
“Nobody needs to go after our children,” resident Catherine Nobles said. “We do not need them coached, we do not need them groomed, we do not need them telling their parents that they have no rights to what they want to do.”
“I saw so many happy families, happy children,” resident Brandi Whiting said of the festival. “ … What I didn’t see was scantily clad people, I didn’t see people grooming anybody. … I saw businesses making money … and I saw dollar signs.”
BIAS COMPLAINT
At the start of Monday’s meeting, Gunsallus read aloud a statement from Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble regarding a hate bias complaint filed last month.
Tina Jones, a board member of the Delmarva Pride Center, filed the complaint June 7 to the attorney general’s office in light of the previous council comments. The attorney general’s office then directed her to reach out to Talbot County law enforcement.
She said she called the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office to report the bias incident.
Jones told The Star Democrat that her main goal is to have open dialogue with council. Although Jones said she spoke with Gunsallus following a June meeting, she said neither Montgomery nor Gunsallus have reached out to her privately to discuss the matter.
“I’m trying to have a dialogue,” Jones said. “And I have offered that up every time I’ve spoken.”
The statement from Gamble said that after reviewing Easton Town Council video footage, the Talbot County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Office of the State Prosecutor determined that there was no hate crime committed at the meeting.
“However, since the Maryland law required police departments to take reports for bias incidents, our office generated a report and the incident was documented,” the statement said. “This is not a criminal investigation.”
Gamble told The Star Democrat he contacted the attorney general’s office to obtain a legal definition for a hate bias incident, to which the office said there is no legal definition.
“My office does not weigh in on whether a bias incident occurred since there is no legal definition on what exactly a bias incident is,” Gamble’s statement read by Gunsallus said. “The Maryland legislature passed the law in 2019 requiring Maryland law enforcement to take these reports but failed miserably to give legal guidance.”
Jones attended Monday’s meeting but did not speak during public comment as she has in previous meetings.
“Clearly, I feel like I have a target on my back,” Jones said. “It would’ve been very difficult for me to get up there last night and state on the record ... what my home address is. There’s a level of fear.”
This report has been updated to further clarify the history of discussions between Jones and Gunsallus.
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