By KEVIN DARST
KevinDarst@coloradoan.com
The city's holiday display probably won't include religious symbols - or a menorah.
At a study session Tuesday night, most City Council members seemed to back a policy to maintain current city practice, which means Christmas trees, wreaths and white lights on city property from Thanksgiving to January.
The direction rankled Mayor Doug Hutchinson, who pushed for a policy that would have allowed religious symbols approved by the city.
"We've just taken a step backward," Hutchinson said.
It would take "courage" for the city to be "inclusive, (but) not totally inclusive," he said.
Sticking to a tree and lights would prevent the city from having to choose what to allow, most council members said.
"I don't think we have the wisdom or the moral imperative to decide" what religious symbols to include, Councilman David Roy said.
The issue arose in December when the Downtown Development Authority and the city denied a request from a Jewish group to display a menorah for eight days on city property.
The city doesn't have a written policy for its holiday display, something Hutchinson had said was sorely needed. It was unclear Tuesday night whether the policy would be done administratively or adopted by the council.
"It's disappointing to me that for all the hoopla of how we believe in acceptance of other people's conditions, that they do that," said Larry Cohen, president of Chabad of Northern Colorado, the Jewish group that asked the menorah be displayed.
The council spent more than an hour discussing the holiday policy Tuesday at the end of a 5½-hour study session. Some council members said they'd consider a policy to include Christian and other religious symbols, but worried the city would have a difficult time deciding which ones to allow.
"The question of when to say no is very troubling to me," said Councilman Kurt Kastein, who at one point said he'd support a display with the Jewish menorah and Christian nativity scene but ultimately sided with the status quo. But the council steered away from an option that would have quashed the city's display altogether.
"To do nothing is an error," Councilwoman Karen Weitkunat said, adding the city should "stay the course in where we are."
KevinDarst@coloradoan.com
The city's holiday display probably won't include religious symbols - or a menorah.
At a study session Tuesday night, most City Council members seemed to back a policy to maintain current city practice, which means Christmas trees, wreaths and white lights on city property from Thanksgiving to January.
The direction rankled Mayor Doug Hutchinson, who pushed for a policy that would have allowed religious symbols approved by the city.
"We've just taken a step backward," Hutchinson said.
It would take "courage" for the city to be "inclusive, (but) not totally inclusive," he said.
Sticking to a tree and lights would prevent the city from having to choose what to allow, most council members said.
"I don't think we have the wisdom or the moral imperative to decide" what religious symbols to include, Councilman David Roy said.
The issue arose in December when the Downtown Development Authority and the city denied a request from a Jewish group to display a menorah for eight days on city property.
The city doesn't have a written policy for its holiday display, something Hutchinson had said was sorely needed. It was unclear Tuesday night whether the policy would be done administratively or adopted by the council.
"It's disappointing to me that for all the hoopla of how we believe in acceptance of other people's conditions, that they do that," said Larry Cohen, president of Chabad of Northern Colorado, the Jewish group that asked the menorah be displayed.
The council spent more than an hour discussing the holiday policy Tuesday at the end of a 5½-hour study session. Some council members said they'd consider a policy to include Christian and other religious symbols, but worried the city would have a difficult time deciding which ones to allow.
"The question of when to say no is very troubling to me," said Councilman Kurt Kastein, who at one point said he'd support a display with the Jewish menorah and Christian nativity scene but ultimately sided with the status quo. But the council steered away from an option that would have quashed the city's display altogether.
"To do nothing is an error," Councilwoman Karen Weitkunat said, adding the city should "stay the course in where we are."
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