Walsh County Commission last week granted a request from County Recorder Diane Link to relieve her of marriage licensing and officiating duties after she said it would go against her beliefs to grant licenses to same-sex couples.
Link said she believes marriage is between a man and a woman and she is not comfortable issuing licenses or performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples, so on July 6 she asked the commission to transfer her duties to Deputy Recorder Yvette Moe.
"My deputy has always done licenses and ceremonies, so nothing has changed there except instead of two people doing them, it is now one person," she told the Herald on Tuesday.
Since last week's commission meeting, Link said she's had no negative reaction to her decision.
"I've received hugs out in public, congratulations and thank yous for standing up for what I believe," she added.
ADVERTISEMENT
Link's request wasn't a surprise to the commissioners. She told them her intentions two years ago, so the motion to grant her request at the July 6 meeting was expected. The commission voted 4-1 to relive Link of her duties and then voted unanimously to give them to Moe.
"We have to provide a service and that's all there is to it," Commission Chairman Jack Karas said Tuesday. "She asked us two years ago if we'd consider doing this, we heard her wishes and that was it."
Link, who has been with the county for more than 30 years and has spent the last decade elected as its recorder, said the commission was very understanding of her decision.
"What it boils down to is absolutely nobody is going to be denied their legal right," Link said.
A U.S. Supreme Court's ruling declared gay marriage legal last month, but no one has come to the recorder's office for a same-sex marriage license, Link said.
The county had issued 25 marriage licenses as of June and performed nine marriage ceremonies this year.
Stark County ran into a similar scenario last week. After County Recorder Kathy Schwab said she felt uncomfortable granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples, she asked the Stark County Commission to allow her to share the responsibility of issuing marriage licenses with Deputy Recorder Kim Kasian.
"Ms. Schwab has personal, deep-seated beliefs that she says really interfere with her ability to do that kind of thing," Stark County State's Attorney Tom Henning said, adding the commission had the power to appoint other county officials to the task.
ADVERTISEMENT
The county ultimately approved Schwab's request during a July 7 meeting.
