Invocation: Inappropriate prayer or time honored ceremony?

Bryce Alderton

The mayor’s decision to cut the invocation before City Council

meetings has stirred much debate and prompted one longtime Huntington

Beach resident to try to reverse the decision.

Before the last City Council meeting, Arline Howard collected 300

signatures in support of having a prayer before the meetings begin.

She presented her findings to the City Council during the public

comment session of the meeting, attempting to sway Mayor Debbie Cook to

allow for a moment of prayer.

“I took the bull by the horns, but it didn’t go the way I wanted it

to,” Howard said. “It’s her prerogative, but I’m glad the Christians

stood up.”

Upholding the US Constitution is what Cook said she is trying to do.

“Government does not serve as the gatekeeper for religious beliefs.

It’s not the government’s place to choose who can or cannot speak at an

invocation,” Cook said. “I believe in the separation of church and state.

I have a duty to uphold the Constitution and I believe I’m doing that.”

Residents and city employees have made phone calls and sent e-mails in

support of her decision, Cook said.

“The first amendment allows people to say what they want to during

public comments, but I don’t believe people should be coerced into

participating,” she said.

It is up to the mayor’s discretion as to whether or not to allow an

invocation before City Council meetings in Huntington Beach.

“I had them when I was mayor,” said council woman Shirley Dettloff. “I

felt they were a nice way to start the meetings.”

Currently members of local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops lead a flag

salute and the Pledge of Allegiance before the meetings begin.

City staff has historically scheduled appointments for religious

leaders to lead the invocation, which has been a hit or miss system over

the years said Rich Barnard, the public information director for the

city.

Barnard felt there were definite benefits to not having the

invocation.

“Now we’re not having [prayers]. It allows us to shorten up the

meetings and focus on business, which is why we have them,” he said.

But some residents feel now is not the time to be backing away from

invocations.

“The country was dealt a terrible blow by the terrorists,” said Jim

Gosney, a Huntington Beach resident since June. “The majority of

Americans are returning to churches and synagogues, places of worship,

more than any time in recent years looking for faith and guidance from a

higher power.”

An e-mail survey of 220 California cities found that 56 of the 68

cities that responded have an invocation before City Council meetings,

said Susan Zito, city clerk of Placerville, who conducted the survey.

Placerville was expected to reinstate the invocations after a

nine-month hiatus at its City Council meeting Tuesday night, Zito said.

“Mayor [Robert Salazar] came in and asked me, ‘Would you have any

problem with an invocation?’ and I said no,” Zito said. “[Invocations]

carry no legislative weight. An invocation is ceremonial.”

Surf City’s neighbor, Newport Beach has had an invocation before

council meetings since April 1953, but it wasn’t consistent until the mid

1990s, said City Clerk LaVonne Harkless.

In Harkless’ six years as city clerk, she said no one has challenged

the invocation.

“We’ll place phone calls to the local churches, even some not in the

Newport Beach area, to find someone who hasn’t been here in awhile,”

Harkless said.

* BRYCE ALDERTON is the news assistant. He can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at bryce.alderton@latimes.com