MAINE: Portland City Hall To Perform Midnight Marriages On Dec. 29th

Portland's City Hall will open at midnight on December 29th, the first day that gay Mainers can marry.

The announcement came a day after Augusta said it would open its offices for the same purpose on that Saturday, during more traditional morning hours. Portland decided to go a little further and open the minute the law takes effect. "There was a lot of discussion about logistics, and the feedback from staff and others was that this would work," said city spokeswoman Nicole Clegg. "It's very exciting," said Ian Grady, communications director for EqualityMaine, the state's leading gay-rights group. "I think the biggest part of the excitement is these people who have been waiting years and years who literally don't want to wait another second."

One of the most beautiful aspects of this latest bit of LGBT history has been watching city governments and civil servants step up, often on their own time, to serve our people.  To serve their people.