Mo. Town Denies Unmarried Couple Permit

[BIG_DADDY]

BLACK JACK, Mo. - The city council has rejected a measure allowing unmarried couples with multiple children to live together, and the mayor said those who fall into that category could soon face eviction.

Olivia Shelltrack and Fondrey Loving were denied an occupancy permit after moving into a home in this St. Louis suburb because they have three children and are not married.

The town's planning and zoning commission proposed a change in the law, but the measure was rejected Tuesday by the city council in a 5-3 vote.

"I'm just shocked," Shelltrack said. "I really thought this would all be over, and we could go on with our lives."

The current ordinance prohibits more than three people from living together unless they are related by "blood, marriage or adoption." The defeated measure would have changed the definition of a family to include unmarried couples with two or more children.

Mayor Norman McCourt declined to be interviewed but said in a statement that those who do not meet the town's definition of family could soon face eviction.

Black Jack's special counsel, Sheldon Stock, declined to say whether the city will seek to remove Loving and Shelltrack from their home.

[penchief]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

BLACK JACK, Mo. - The city council has rejected a measure allowing unmarried couples with multiple children to live together, and the mayor said those who fall into that category could soon face eviction.

Olivia Shelltrack and Fondrey Loving were denied an occupancy permit after moving into a home in this St. Louis suburb because they have three children and are not married.

The town's planning and zoning commission proposed a change in the law, but the measure was rejected Tuesday by the city council in a 5-3 vote.

"I'm just shocked," Shelltrack said. "I really thought this would all be over, and we could go on with our lives."

The current ordinance prohibits more than three people from living together unless they are related by "blood, marriage or adoption." The defeated measure would have changed the definition of a family to include unmarried couples with two or more children.

Mayor Norman McCourt declined to be interviewed but said in a statement that those who do not meet the town's definition of family could soon face eviction.

Black Jack's special counsel, Sheldon Stock, declined to say whether the city will seek to remove Loving and Shelltrack from their home.

Wow.

[Ultra Peanut]

IT AIN'T WHAT GOD INTENDED

[Adept Havelock]

Petty theocrats. How pathetic.

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by Adept Havelock

Petty theocrats. How pathetic.

I guess I didn't see where their motivation was expressed in the article. Nice assumption.

[the Talking Can]

American Taliban

[Logical]

Originally Posted by Cochise

I guess I didn't see where their motivation was expressed in the article. Nice assumption.

What other assumption would make sense?

[Adept Havelock]

Originally Posted by Cochise

I guess I didn't see where their motivation was expressed in the article. Nice assumption.

I've never been to Titan, but based on the size and density of that moon I assume the gravity there is about 1/10 of the Earths.

You're quite correct Cochise. It's an assumption. I suppose they could be militant athiests who are absolute fanatics about people getting a piece of paper from city hall before they are allowed to cohabitate.

Originally Posted by Logical

What other assumption would make sense?

Indeed.

[Boozer]

When you support restrictions on gays, this is the next step you can expect.

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by Adept Havelock

I've never been to Titan, but based on the size and density of that moon I assume the gravity there is about 1/10 of the Earths.

You're quite correct Cochise. It's an assumption. I suppose they could be militant athiests who are absolute fanatics about people getting a piece of paper from city hall before they are allowed to cohabitate.



Indeed.

I lived in another town in Missouri where (supposedly) this rule existed because they had a problem with brothels back in the day. What bearing that has on today, who knows? I was just annoyed by the "well, here's something I don't like, blame those religious folk."

There's another town in this area where there is a minimum square footage for a house built in the city limits. Some don't allow mobile homes. Is that descrimination against lower incomes?

I guess that it comes down to whether or not you think the elected city government should be in the process of filtering what type of people they want to make up their city. But they are elected

[Nightwish]

Black Jack has been under fire for this law for quite awhile now. I know I was hearing a lot about it last summer, with locals complaining that it was petty and unnecessary (Black Jack is just up the road from me; it's part of Florissant, for all intents and purposes, and I live right at the Florissant/Hazelwood line). I wouldn't be surprised to see this sort of thing in some of the smaller rural towns, but it surprises me to see it right here in the metro, since this is one of the most liberal (if not the most liberal) cities in the state.

[Boozer]

Originally Posted by Cochise

I guess that it comes down to whether or not you think the elected city government should be in the process of filtering what type of people they want to make up their city. But they are elected

I've seen the law school "Local Government" class described as "Learn how the most expansive powers available to any government in America are reside in a commitee comprising real estate agent, a dentist, and a store owner."

[Nightwish]

Originally Posted by Boozer

I've seen the law school "Local Government" class described as "Learn how the most expansive powers available to any government in America are reside in a commitee comprising real estate agent, a dentist, and a store owner."

As funny as it sounds, that is how it should be. Who better to govern the local affairs of a town than its own people? As much as this affair in Black Jack disturbs me, it seems to be what the people of that town want, for now, and who am I to say they can't run their town as they see fit? They are, after all, elected officials, and if they don't act according to the wishes of their constituents, they run the risk of being ousted at the next election.

[Boozer]

Originally Posted by Nightwish

As funny as it sounds, that is how it should be. Who better to govern the local affairs of a town than its own people? As much as this affair in Black Jack disturbs me, it seems to be what the people of that town want, for now, and who am I to say they can't run their town as they see fit? They are, after all, elected officials, and if they don't act according to the wishes of their constituents, they run the risk of being ousted at the next election.

How much do you know about they guys you voted for in the last city council race? Not much, right? That So-And-So is the local tailor and always gives you good prices? Certainly less than you know about Bush or Kerry, or your senators, governor, etc., right?

I'm all for the local government ideal, but it only washes in an ideal situation. Fact is, you don't know shit about your local office candidates, and neither does anyone else. How does a totally uninformed electorate help matters?

[Nightwish]

Originally Posted by Boozer

How much do you know about they guys you voted for in the last city council race? Not much, right? That So-And-So is the local tailor and always gives you good prices? Certainly less than you know about Bush or Kerry, or your senators, governor, etc., right?

I'm all for the local government ideal, but it only washes in an ideal situation. Fact is, you don't know shit about your local office candidates, and neither does anyone else. How does a totally uninformed electorate help matters?

That's more true of large towns than of small towns. In the Mayberries of the nation, nobody has secrets, hehe. Of course, Black Jack, while not a large town, is a metro burb, so it has all the characteristics of a large town. But I suspect that won't be a problem on the next go-round, at least with respect to this particular issue, due to the publicity that it's been getting lately.