Mayor Techel's welcome to the gays

In speaking with event organizers, I was very excited to hear that the Mayor of Napa--our Mayor--would be writing a welcome letter to be included in the program for all of the tournament participants. How groundbrakingly un-Napa like and progressive! I wondered what she would say. After Mayor Henderson's proclaiming June gay pride month in Napa in 2002, who knew how Mayor Techel could top it? Maybe hang a huge rainbow flag in Veteran's Park on Main Street?

I feel like the Mayor took an easy way out by using her letter to only promote Napa's food, wine and scenic attractions. Maybe that's not unexpected, and maybe mentioning anything about gay progress or even a "Congratulations! You can get married now! Get married in the beautiful Napa Valley!" would have been out of place, but she went very (and disappointingly) business in her welcome letter. Yes...GREAT that she wrote a letter to welcome the gays, but at this crucial time there was a huge opportunity before her and she doesn't even say the word gay in it (remember, she's welcoming a group of hundreds and hundreds for a gay softball tournament). To me that is an opportunity squandered. The gesture is nevertheless appreciated. The text follows:

Greetings:

It is a pleasure to welcome you to Napa for the Golden Bear Classic softball tournament to be held in Napa Memorial Day weekend.

Whether you are visiting Napa for the first time or you’ve been to our City many times, you are in for a treat. The Napa Valley is beautiful this time of year, and the weather is nearly perfect. I hope you’ll have a chance to enjoy our many fine restaurants, wine tasting rooms, and a variety of historical and cultural attractions.

In Downtown Napa we have more than 15 Zagat-rated restaurants and about 20 wine tasting bars and tasting rooms. We are very proud that Ubuntu Restaurant was named one of the top two new restaurants in the US by the New York Times. Make sure to check out Veterans Memorial Park – it was just reopened in early May and is part of the riverwalk included in our Napa River Flood Protection Project. Just a block north on Main Street is the Napa Valley Opera house -a great venue with some amazing entertainment, At the south end of the river walk is the Historic Napa Mill. And on First Street in the Oxbow District, Copia is a one-of-a-kind wine, food and arts center and the new Oxbow Public Market is a great place to grab a bite to eat and have a glass of wine on the outside deck.

Special thanks should be given to the organizers for their hard work in ensuring that both the event and your stay in Napa are enjoyable. Best wishes to each of you in the tournament. We hope you enjoy your stay and will return soon.

Sincerely,

Mayor Jill Techel