The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the mayor and city council members of Elmhurst, Ill., on Jan. 29 asking the city to vote down a proposal to open meetings with prayer. Mayor Peter DiCianni told the Elmhurst Press, "We're doing God's work up here, and we may need (prayer)."
In her letter, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Foundation co-president, pointed out: "The city, under the secular requirements of Art. 1, Sect. 3 of the Illinois Constitution, should not lend its power and prestige to religion, amounting to a governmental endorsement that excludes the 15% of your population that is nonreligious."
The Council held the first invocation in several years at its meeting on Feb. 1, 2010.
The Foundation had sent a letter to Elmhurst's neighboring city, Wheaton, in October.
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You may wish to contact the mayor to oppose the proposal.
Mayor Peter DiCianni
City of Elmhurst
209 N. York Street
Elmhurst IL 60126
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