SANDUSKY — What began as a routine discussion about adding the Pledge of Allegiance to the Erie County Board of Elections agenda quickly turned heated when board member John Adams suggested going a step further — opening each meeting with prayer.
Adams, the board’s Republican representative and a local Christian pastor, said many public bodies begin their meetings with an invocation.
“A number of county offices do this,” Adams said. “Why not us? It’s the right thing to do.”
The idea drew immediate pushback from Democratic board member Mary Ann Groot, who said prayer has no place in a government meeting.
“Our country was established on the separation of church and state,” Groot said. “If you’re going to include the pledge, isn’t that enough of a prayer? That’s where it needs to end.”
