First, the news:
In a surprising speaker-inspired move, the Villa Park city council decided tonight to let city residents decide on the November ballot whether to display “In God We Trust” in the council chambers.
From Ellen Pak’s story:
The City Council voted to place the matter on the November ballot instead of deciding on its own whether to place the motto in its chambers. Villa Park is the first city in the county to let voters decide this issue.
More than a dozen people spoke on the issue that other cities have considered in the past few months. The majority of speakers urged city officials to reject the proposal; a handful of others spoke in favor of adopting the motto.
City Council members said private funds, not public money, should be used to place the matter on the ballot. It may cost the city $1,300 to $1,500. A resolution must also be sent to the Registrar of Voters 88 days before the November elections, said City Manager Ken Domer.
Mayor Brad Reese requested the original item be placed on the agenda after receiving materials from Bakerfield’s Jacquie Sullivan and seeing other councils in the county pass similar resolutions. After a recommendation from a member of the public, however, the resolution was changed to call for city residents to vote on the issue in November.
The LAV’s take: While this was the first city council meeting I’d ever been to in person, I’ve logged dozens of hours watching city council recordings, and they’re just about as exciting as you’d expect. For the first two hours, tonight’s meeting in Villa Park was no different. Some feel-good resolutions, lots of city business, and passionate discussions about conditional use permits and sign ordinances. However, as soon as the mayor announced Item 16, a resolution to display “In God We Trust” in the council chambers, things got interesting.
About a dozen members of local freethought groups, including Orange County Atheists, OC’s chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Backyard Skeptics, and UCI’s Atheists, Agnostics and Rationalists lined up to speak, as well as unaffiliated community members, most of those actually residents of Villa Park. The council gave everyone three minutes and asked speakers not to repeat points. After a few speakers in a row announced they weren’t actually from Villa Park, the grumbles from city residents became audible and a few of them lined up to speak too.
In the midst of all this, one city denizen suggested that perhaps city residents, not the city council, should decide such a hot topic. This must have struck a note with the council — Councilmembers Freschi and Pauly quickly agreed that this was a good idea (and would free them from actually having to vote themselves on the topic), and none of the rest of the council had any problem with the new direction.
Several things surprised me about the whole experience — after the first group of speakers (mostly non-city residents, and just about all against the measure) spoke, the council had their say, then residents asked to respond to earlier speakers, and were welcomed to do so - not common at council meetings. Just about all started by saying “I didn’t intend to speak on this tonight, but…”, and had something to say about God, country, and non-Villa Park residents at their meeting. Then others against the measure (who didn’t speak earlier) went to the podium and responded to the responses. Very unusual.
The other unexpected element shouldn’t have been a big surprise - the council members and usual attendees are a very tight-knit group (Villa Park is a city of fewer than 7,000 residents, and is the smallest in Orange County). Because of this, the outsiders really stood out, and when the discussion turned to paying the estimated $1,500 cost of putting this on the ballot, residents literally started standing up and pledging funds, with more than $500 promised when former councilmember Bill MacAloney stood and pledged the remainder. You don’t see that kind of thing in Anaheim or Santa Ana.
All in all, an interesting night, and it’s the LAV’s opinion that a ballot measure will easily pass, putting Villa Park in the company of Westminster, Cypress, San Clemente, Mission Viejo and Huntington Beach, although not until later this year. It’s also a very likely that I’ll have an announcement this week or next about another city considering the motto.
