Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Community Development Board adopts monthly rotation for brief opening invocation after heated debate
Summary
After a months-long discussion and constitutional warnings from the board attorney, the Community Development Board voted to begin meetings with a brief, voluntary invocation or moment of silence on a rotating monthly basis; two members opposed the rule.
The Community Development Board voted on Sept. 16 to begin its meetings with a brief, voluntary opening invocation or moment of silence, with members rotating the responsibility monthly and a suggested 60-second guideline. The motion passed after extended discussion and two votes in which two members opposed the measure.
The issue came to a head when board member Mike Mastrocerio proposed, “I’d like to make a motion that we open each meeting with prayer to Jesus Christ,” and asked the board to act after what he called recent events. Jay Daigneau, the board attorney, cautioned that framing the motion to require prayer to a specific deity would likely violate the Constitution: “The motion as stated ... would suggest a singularly Christian…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
