Mayor Says "Yea" To Gay Partner Benefits

The Mayor is looking at giving the domestic partners of gay city employees pension benefits. The Post reports that State Comtroller Alan Hevesi said that domestic partners in Canada are receiving such benefits, and Mayor Bloomberg sought advice from city lawyers, who told him "recognition would be legal and just." Gothamist thinks this is great, but we also wonder if this a move to squash efforts from the City Council to paint the Mayor as being uncaring of domestic partners: The Mayor vetoed a measure that would force businesses working the city to give gay employees' domestic partners benefits, which the City Council ultimated overrode (we suspect the Mayor didn't want to force businesses into a corner and drive prices up).

The NY Times has a Public Lives profile of Chelsea City Councilwoman Christine Quinn who fought for the City Council to override the mayor's veto. And Gotham Gazette on how Mayor Bloomberg has to speak up on gay marriage.