A GOP New York state Senator who voted against Governor Cuomo’s marriage equality bill that became effective a week ago Sunday says the process was democracy at its finest — even though he lost — and says the lawsuit filed by an anti-gay religious-based group affiliated with New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz is wrong. The group, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the law based upon a perceived violation in the atate’s open meeting laws.
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“Rarely has democracy been as active or alive as it was the day of that vote,” said Republican Senator Greg Ball. “While some, like this group, would have liked to of seen dysfunctional Albany bottle up any vote or debate, democracy won the day over Albany’s old dysfunctional politics. The votes were there, the vote was held, and the bill passed. This group apparently would have liked to see old Albany rear it’s ugly head, where a small minority controlled by the extreme and petty interest, could have killed democratic action. Democracy won.â€
The lawsuit includes allegations such as, “a private dinner between the Republican Senators and and Governor Cuomo at the Governor’s mansion, with the public and press excluded, aimed at convincing Republican Senators to vote for the bill,†and, “Mayor Bloomberg has personally donated $41,200 to four Republican Senators who voted for the Act,†and, “Governor Cuomo is a registered Democrat,†and, “Republican Senators turned their cell phones off so neither the public nor their staff could reach them.â€
Ball, in late June, was accused by many LGBT activists and same-sex marriage supporters of teasing social media fans on Twitter and Facebook by asking them how he should vote for the same-sex marriage bill, suggesting he might vote yes. Despite the fact that, even as Ball admitted, almost every single response was a “yes,” Ball claimed they weren’t coming from his constituents.