Always a lift to read a suuportive letter to the editor.  Not a fan of "sexual preference", but I agree that marriage equality is about the community and region as much as it is about individual civil rights. 

Local leadership: the next step

The leadership in our city has done so many things right over the last few years, and the region is slowly being rewarded. The comparison with downtrodden cities like Detroit, Cleveland and others are disappearing. We are not a Rust Belt city anymore; we are not crying in our soup over the steel industry losses. Now it's time to move our region to the next step.

The consensus is building and documented that the governments around the world should be sticking to things they have a right and obligation to do, not dictating someone's sexual preference. Let's show leadership now and promote our region as one of openness, growth, ideas and inclusiveness. If we don't dictate our future, it will be done for us.

We need to get real on this subject. We need to focus on top-line growth like becoming an energy center or focus on public transportation issues.

Gay marriages and civil unions will happen nationally. We should step it up locally.

ANTHONY M. LACENERE
McCandless

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