Thanks to efforts by local activists and national freethought groups, including FFRF, the Chino Valley Town Council in Arizona voted unanimously April 12 to drop prayers from governmental meetings.
In December, a local resident expressed dismay about the councilor-delivered invocations always ending “in Jesus’ name.” In response to the complaint, Councilmember Lon Turner on Jan. 8 publicly declared he would continue to pray in Jesus’ name, claiming that the citizen’s request was an attempt to “tread on” his religion and “freedom of expression.”
FFRF Legal Fellow Madeline Ziegler wrote letters on Jan. 14 and Feb. 10 objecting to the practice.
Although originally promising there would be no invocation while controversy was discussed, Mayor Chris Marley at the following meeting personally conducted the invocation, reading a “disclaimer” that the prayer was his “personal belief.” Local Rabbi Adele Plotkin, who had attended the meeting on the understanding that there would be no Christian prayer, audibly protested and was removed from the council chambers.
The council decided not to change its practice, with Marley declaring the lack of action was “drawing a line in the sand in defense of freedom of religion and free expression.”
Ziegler sent another letter after these antics: “It is alarming that the members of the Chino Valley Town Council do not understand that you are acting as the government at Town Council meetings, and not as private individuals.”
