The Edgewood Commission discussed a proclamation at a Sept. 24 meeting that had some commissioners and residents concerned about the possible consequences.
Commissioners and town employees had mixed feelings about the proclamation, which recognizes “the Christian heritage of the United States” and calls for voluntary prayer, worship and repentance.
“We invite all citizens of Edgewood to join in worship, prayer, and repentance in their homes and places of worship, honoring our Christian heritage and upholding the morals and values that have sustained our nation,” the proclamation read. “All of this being done in sincerity and truth, that we may live in peace and unity, that we may be forgiven our sins, and that we may find favor from the Divine Creator and Ruler over all nations.”
The proclamation would name the “first day of October, 2024, as a Day of Prayer, Humiliation, Worship, and Repentance, requesting all Edgewood citizens to reflect on our Christian heritage, observe the Lord’s Day, and continue worshiping God, seeking His guidance and forgiveness.”
Commissioner Stephen Murillo presented the “Humiliation, Prayer and Fasting” proclamation to the Edgewood Commission.
“This proclamation, as I said at the beginning at the commissioner comments, is really just based on a tradition that we’ve done here in the United States prior to the Declaration of Independence, prior to the ratification of our Constitution and our rights. It’s been practiced by presidents. It’s been practiced by state officials,” Murillo said.
In a public comment session at the beginning of the meeting, some residents said that the proclamation may be unconstitutional.
But Edgewood Police Chief Roger Jimenez said he approves of the proclamation.
“That’s the great thing about living here in America where freedom of speech, freedom of religion, all of that exists. I have to agree with Commissioner Murillo in bringing this forward,” Jimenez said. “I’m hoping that we can get to a point where we can talk about it, get over it and then move on. And hopefully this doesn’t separate us, especially as a commission and as a town.”
Not all town employees felt the same way. Town Clerk-Treasurer Michelle Jones used some of her time to speak about her thoughts on the proclamation.
“I think it’s not the job that we’re here to do,” Jones said. “And I think it excludes a lot of people.”
Tom Sullivan traveled from Albuquerque to make a comment disapproving of the proclamation.
“I do understand the concept of prudent and appropriate invocations, but you are picking an unnecessary and divisive fight with your own citizens again,” Sullivan said. “I was surprised to learn that municipalities could blatantly invoke a particular religious belief set, but it’s a highly discouraged practice for any public entity across the country to do so.”
During a discussion about approving the Sept. 24 Commission Meeting’s consent agenda, Commissioner Filandro Anaya suggested that the proclamation be removed permanently from all Edgewood Town Commission meeting discussions.
Anaya voiced concerns that the proclamation may have some negative consequences if it were issued publicly during the meeting.
“I wanted to pull item F off,” Anaya said. “We’re a municipality. We’re a building entity. We are not a church.”
Mayor Ken Brennan said that he doesn’t think the proclamation is violating any laws.
“All it’s doing is that we are recognizing the Christian faith,” Brennan said. “This nation, not only is based on Christian heritage, its Judeo Christian beliefs over the years have developed this country and the addition of other beliefs into our society has helped also to build upon that.”
Brennan suggested that some of the language in the proclamation be changed in order to ensure it would not discriminate against any groups.
The Edgewood Commission also voted 4-1 to postpone approval of a policy regarding prayers and invocation at Town Commission meetings until a workshop can be held to discuss the draft of the policy.
Currently, the draft of the policy reads:
“The Edgewood Town Commission, which is an elected legislative and deliberative public body, has a regular practice of opening its meetings with an invocation. Prayer before deliberative public bodies has been consistently upheld as constitutional by American courts including the United States Supreme Court, most recently Town of Greece v. Galloway (2014), as it is seen to lend gravity to public business, remind lawmakers to transcend petty differences in pursuit of a higher purpose, and express a common aspiration to a just and peaceful society.
The Town Commission intends to adopt a policy that upholds the individual’s ‘free exercise’ rights under the First Amendment. Furthermore, the Town Commission intends to adopt a policy that does not proselytize or advance any faith, or belief, or show any purposeful preference of one religious view to the exclusion of others.”