The Elmhurst City Council meeting on February 1. The council is debating
whether to have prayer before their meetings. Post-Exchange/JAMIE LOO

Prayer debate continues in Elmhurst

City looks to Wheaton which just passed an invocation ordinance.

By Jamie Loo, First Amendment reporter

March 10, 2010

ELMHURST—The prayer before meetings issue has already become distracting to city business and will continue to divert attention from government issues if codified, residents and alderman said.

The city council’s finance, council affairs, and administrative services committee took public comment on the prayer issue on Monday. The committee will look at research on how other municipal governments handle prayer the next time it’s placed on the agenda.

All seven people who spoke during public comment were against the invocation proposal. Residents said it puts the city at risk for lawsuits and can become a distraction from more important city business such as the budget and public safety. Full Story