W.G. City Commission axes opening prayer

Joseph Richardson spoke to the media following a Winter Garden City Commission vote on alternatives to opening government meetings with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

WINTER GARDEN – A prayer will no longer be said to open the meetings of the Winter Garden City Commission, but the Pledge of Allegiance will still be recited. And everyone in attendance has the option of standing or remaining seated during the pledge and the newly agreed-upon moment of silence.

The City Commission called a special meeting Sept. 5 to discuss the issue that has been the topic of conversation among residents since Joseph Richardson refused to stand at the Aug. 28 meeting during the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance and was escorted out at the request of Mayor John Rees.

In the end, the motion was made to continue the pledge but change the time of prayer to a moment of silence. The vote was 3-2, with commissioners Colin Sharman, Bob Buchanan and Kent Makin voting in favor of the measure and Rees and Commissioner Bobby Olszewski dissenting.

The mayor opened the special meeting by saying the elected officials were having the discussion and vote on this day to avoid any potential discord during the regularly scheduled commission meeting Sept. 11, which he called “a day of reflection.”

He also issued an apology to those who were offended by his direction to Police Chief George Brennan to walk Richardson out of the commission chambers on Aug. 28.

City Attorney Kurt Ardaman proposed three resolutions for the commission to vote on. In the first option, the Pledge of Allegiance would be recited and various members of the religious community would be invited to give the invocation. In the second option, the pledge would be said and the commission would offer a moment of silence. And, in the third option, there would be no pledge, no prayer and no moment of silence.

Each elected official had a chance to speak before the floor was opened to the audience.

Olszewski said he was in favor of “freedom of religion, not freedom from religion” and thought the first resolution was “the most indicative of defending the Constitution.” He made a motion to adopt this option, which would include the pledge and an invocation by a rotation of guests from religious and non-religious groups, but the motion died for lack of a second from another commissioner.

Buchanan said he disagreed with Olszewski.

“Someone who doesn’t believe in God might not want to hear my prayer, and I might not want to hear their prayer,” he said.

Buchanan then made a motion to adopt the resolution option that calls for a moment of silence and Pledge of Allegiance. Makin seconded the motion and said he agrees with Buchanan.

“I’d be OK with that,” Sharman said. “But I’d like things to stay the way they are.”

Rees said: “Yes, I would like to keep things the way they are; or a second option/resolution. I’d like to give all religions a chance.”

The mayor then opened the floor to the audience, asking the speakers to keep it to three minutes and asking the audience to respect the speakers.

Two former city commissioners spoke — Theo Graham and Rod Reynolds. Graham agreed with Rees and said, “Why do we want to change the U.S. Supreme Court” decision?

“I feel like any American will stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and stand when the flag goes by,” he added.

Reynolds said: “I’m passionate like the mayor, but I must say that the Constitution defends the freedoms of those who feel different than me. I think the minority should concede if they don’t agree with the majority. That’s why there’s a ballot box.”

The commission also heard from residents of Winter Garden, Clermont and Oviedo who spoke on both sides of the issue.

When Richardson spoke, he began by thanking the elected officials and staff for looking into his request in May for the city to be more inclusive during the time of invocation.

He told commissioners “the Bill of Rights exists to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority” and added: "I intensely respect our country, our military and their sacrifices. But I also reserve that right to show respect in ways that I choose and not in ways that are mandated either through legislation or through peer pressure.”

Richardson is a member of the atheist group Freedom from Religion Foundation and of the Central Florida Freethought Community.

He also read a statement from his wife, Kathleen Richardson, who could not attend the meeting. She asked the commission to continue the Pledge of Allegiance but call for a moment of silence instead of saying a prayer.

Rees first served as a city commissioner in 1986 and was elected mayor in 2008.

“It has always been protocol of our city to stand for the pledge and the flag,” he said Friday.

And while the mayor has accepted the vote, he wanted it noted that he will not waiver on his principles and convictions and still believes citizens should stand during the invocation and pledge.

City Manager Mike Bollhoefer told the West Orange Times on Tuesday that the commission still has the option of bringing the issue back to the discussion table.

“They can change that policy at any time,” he said.

How do other West Orange County municipalities handle this issue? In Oakland, a town commissioner gives the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance is said. In Ocoee, the pledge is said and either a commissioner or invited guest leads the group in prayer. In Windermere, the mayor says a prayer and the pledge is recited.