Hardly a scintillating response I would expect from the City and County’s “Brain Trust”. Perhaps the definition of the word, “Tolerance” is in order. While I am not sure the agnostics and the atheists will rise in rebellion, nor any other faith when the nondenominational option is available to all faiths as a prelude to public meetings in lieu of a meaningless “moment of silence”.
When asked point blank, the Del Norte County’s chair, Joey Borges, has yet to satisfactorily explain where the controversy lies and refuses to entertain the notion the Board of Supervisors should place “the controversial prayer” on the agenda for at the very least some discussion.
Clearly many other items of questionable importance seem to find less difficulty appearing on past BOS agendas, say repeated efforts to “claim” the Smith River, our water source, has been “poisoned” by innumerable human economic activities occurring presently and nearly one hundred years in the area’s past. Zero for five passionate appeals by hysterical, screeching members of the public over the past year. No such contamination in evidence, yet the board has spent too much\ time during several meetings listening to the diatribes of the few.
The Crescent City Harbor District elected to grace its meetings with a short prayer before each meeting earlier this Spring with very little controversy, demonstrations outside the Harbor’s Office, or any sort of violent misbehavior in protest from ANTIFA. Meetings have gone forward exuding an air of calm with no cries of outrage, verbal challenge, or criticism over the opening prayer. Please Chair Borges, enlighten us as to where the controversy might lie?
As to Mayor Pro Tem Isaiah Wright, who finds himself and his fellow counselors incapable of writing a brief prayer to commence the Council’s meetings of likely less than a minute in length, perhaps should resign, and the city should find themselves a representative capable of stringing a few words together which resemble a prayer. I’m not sure Isaiah, how “incapable” is going to work for you.
No one seems to understand why it is our local leadership has become quite so “timid”, constantly looking for others to carry their water. Clearly a leader elected to hold office has the responsibility to listen and act for the benefit of his entire constituency and not be concerned over the objections of a few. If there is no support for a nondenominational prayer, so be it, but it is unconscionable for Joey Borges and Isaiah Wright to deny a request from the public to place this item on an agenda ASAP! There have been far too many times recently where both governing agencies do not listen to the public.
It has become more and more evident the claim of representation from our County’s elite is a hollow one. Very little of the BOS’s business actually stems from the Board of Supervisors. The City Council is guilty of the same. Hidden in places like the respective consent agendas, our representatives have very little to strain themselves when raising the universal gavel of a 5-0 vote. Perhaps a little “controversy” discussing the investment of a preliminary nondenominational prayer before each meeting is in order. It has been requested of both bodies for a prayer before meetings to appear on an agenda. Time to put up and stop pretending its controversial and act! Time to claim inability to preform to cease.
Chair Borges, you have little to hold up as an accomplishment while serving on the BOS for over a year. Mayor Pro Tem Wright not much more if anything than Chair Borges. Both are representatives with little to write about on their lists of accomplishments. Neither serve on boards rich with a wealth of accomplishments. Election time is rapidly approaching for both Borges and Wright should they choose to be reelected. Accomplishments matter and both men have few to hold up.
It might surprise Borges and Wright how little the public has begun to care about what both the Board of Supervisors and the City Council try to accomplish. Not much recently, for its citizens. A prayer before meetings could change the apathy directed towards both, controversy notwithstanding. Mr. Borges, Mr. Wright, this issue will not go away no matter how much you choose to ignore it. Time to put up or step down!