OPINION – During the Nov. 18 meeting, Jennifer Wright, justified her recommendation that the town council suspend or end council reports and the call to the public as follows: “So that removing these … two items at least temporarily are reasonably calculated to avoid any potential civil rights complaints if you were to engage in the conduct suggested and to prevent more abusive complaints on these topics.”
Wright asks us to accept her underlying premise that coercive religious beliefs could only be expressed during the time reserved for these two agenda items. Therefore, removing these agenda items will “prevent more abusive complaints.”
In response we ask Ms. Wright: “Isn’t there a risk that coercive religious beliefs could be expressed any time a person is allowed to speak during a public meeting?”
