Red flag raised on peace pole

Cities, and city officials, accepting gifts of any kind is a slippery

slope to tread on.

That is why the City Council’s acceptance of a gift from the

Church of Religious Science -- a peace pole that bears the message,

“Let there be peace on Earth” in six languages: English, Spanish,

Japanese, Vietnamese, Chumash and American Sign Language -- raised a

red flag for many.

While it may seem innocuous enough, even a simple message of peace

that most people can support could spell trouble for a city.

Councilwoman Debbie Cook warned the City Council that they should

think long and hard before accepting the donation. Some people

thought she was being paranoid. But especially in this lawsuit-happy

society it is a tricky proposition for any public entity to accept

such an offering to be displayed in a public place.

It all began in May of 2003 when the Church of Religious Science

offered to donate to the city a peace pole, which then-Mayor Connie

Boardman recommended be installed at the Central Library. At the

suggestion of Cook, the council opted instead to send the proposal to

the city attorney’s office, asking that office to establish a policy

on gifts to the city.

Cook questioned whether approving a donation from one group would

legally bar the council from denying a donation from any other group,

including those that might be considered offensive.

A discussion of limits on gifts that council members can accept

ensued, but the issue of the peace pole fell by the wayside.

The library board has since voted 3 to 2 not to install the pole.

But the issue came up again in the last several weeks. While Cook

raised the same objections, this time around, the council accepted

the gift on a 6 to 1 vote and agreed to put it at City Hall.

The problem is, Cook’s concerns were not answered or alleviated.

Accepting this seemingly harmless gift could still leave the city

wide open to problems from other groups looking to donate and post

messages at City Hall.

Better to say no thank you and play it safe.