Protesters take stance over respect for women by Wake County Commissioners
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Monday afternoon, a handful of protesters held brightly-colored signs outside the Wake Justice Center as the Wake County Board of Commissioners was meeting upstairs.
The women are from the Raleigh chapter of the National Organization for Women. The group says it's outraged that the board's four Republican commissioners decided to boycott three candidate forums hosted by the League of Women Voters.
The group is officially non-partisan, but considered left-leaning.
The protesters call the boycott the latest example of rude behavior by the board's Republican majority.
"I am seeing that they're disrespecting women and voters," said Gailya Paliga with the National Organization for Women of Wake County. "They had to cancel and redo what they were doing for the first time in 15 years. They couldn't have their voter forum. They had to regroup and completely change it."
The four Republicans on the Wake Board of Commissioners -- Joe Bryan, Paul Coble, Rich Gianni, and Phil Matthews -- were tied up in a committee meeting. ABC11 could not get their reaction to the protest.
In a letter to the League of Women Voters last month, the commissioners said they believes the group's scope is too narrow to adequately preserve impartiality.
