Concerning City Council Candidate John Rooks, Jr., and the Equality NC Questionnaire

The People’s Alliance Political Action Committee has endorsed John Rooks, Jr., for the Ward 2 City Council seat.  In his responses to PA PAC’s questionnaire, John declared himself to be firmly in favor of laws to protect members of the LGBTQ community from discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodation, and access to government services and processes.  He further declared that Durham should be a sanctuary for all those who seek to live here.  In recent days, the PAC has learned that John’s responses to Equality NC’s questionnaire were inconsistent with his responses to PA PAC’s questionnaire as it relates to the rights of members of the LGBTQ and immigrant communities.  After many hours of meetings – both with John by himself and with John and stakeholder members of the directly affected community - PA PAC continues to support John Rooks for the Ward 2 City Council seat.

During our meetings, John explained that he enlisted a friend to assist him in completing the Equality NC questionnaire and that he allowed the questionnaire to be submitted without reviewing it first.  The questionnaire contained responses which were hurtful and substantially at odds with John’s own views as reflected in his responses to PA PAC.  John has assured us again that his response in the PA PAC questionnaire accurately reflect his positions  - that he supports equal rights for members of the LGBTQ community, that he will support legislation at every level to combat discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community, and that Durham should be a sanctuary for everyone.

Concerning the Equality NC questionnaire, John informed us that he would address the issue head on and take responsibility for the error knowing that in doing so he might lose votes in the upcoming primary election.  On his website, John has posted a restatement of his support for LGBTQ rights and an explanation of the error his campaign committed in the preparation and submission of the Equality NC questionnaire.  With his explanation, he posted his responses to the PA PAC and Equality NC questionnaires.  John also reached out to Equality NC, to PA PAC, and to his supporters to explain the situation and take ownership of the error.

PA PAC is impressed by the straightforward and open manner in which John has responded to this unhappy problem.  It confirms to us that John is a man of honesty and integrity and the best candidate for the Ward 2 City Council seat.  If John is elected, we will remember well his promise to join the People’s Alliance in its support of the LGBTQ and immigrant communities and we will hold him to that promise.