TO THE EDITOR:
Bill Madden’s letter to the editor on Wednesday, hoping for a marriage equality gala at the Register of Deeds office on Monday, expressed disappointment that the Register of Deeds office observed protocol and that Register of Deeds Deborah Brooks wore black clothing.
In fact and as can clearly be seen in the Chapel Hill News, Brooks was dressed in blue on Oct. 13 — Carolina Blue.
And the Chapel Hill News story reported that outside the office “the crowd cheered and clapped as each couple emerged from the license office. Calls of congratulations and the flash of cameras followed them into the lobby.”
Madden is perhaps looking forward to becoming entertainment director for Mark Chilton, incoming Register of Deeds — who, it may be recalled, ran on a platform that included granting marriage licenses to same-gender couples in violation of Amendment One.
Clearly, now that the ban on same-gender marriage has been lifted, Register of Deeds Deborah Brooks is registering same-gender couples consistent with her oath and responsibility to observe state law and accuracy of registrations. We can hope that Chilton can and will do likewise, resisting any inclination to introduce unlawful innovation during his tenure so that we, his customers, can continue to have confidence, as we have had with Brooks, that our registered deeds and licenses meet all requirements.
Lynn Knauff
Class of ’70
