Local government leaders react to Supreme Court’s public prayer ruling

Fire Department Chaplain Phil Saunders said when he delivers the prayer before a Cedar Rapids City Council meeting, he prays for wisdom.

'I ask the Lord to give wisdom to the council people,” the 73-year-old retired firefighter said. 'To ask the Lord to guide them in their decision making.”

Cedar Rapids is among other cities across the country that include prayer before a public meeting, a decision the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday is constitutional.

The court ruled 5-4 that a town in upstate New York did not violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on government endorsement of religion by allowing prayers before public meetings. The First Amendment outlines the separation of church and state.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett said the city has a long history of starting each council meeting with a prayer, which is followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Public safety or fire chaplains typically preside over the 30- to 90 second moment but Corbett said council members also invite guests to deliver the prayer.

'They're not sermons, they're just a prayer generally for the city and the community of Cedar Rapids,” he said.

Corbett said although the religions represented tend to be Christian-based, the prayer is open to participation by other religions including non-denominational preachers or Muslim imams.

Paul Pate, former Cedar Rapids mayor and a Republican candidate for Iowa Secretary of State, said prayer has been a part of city council meetings since he can remember. During his tenure the city switched to relying on public safety chaplains on a more regular basis.

Corbett said prayer also is used during dedication ceremonies including the recent opening of the new fire station. New police officers and firefighters hear a prayer when being sworn in as officers.

Surrounding cities including Marion, Iowa City and North Liberty do not include prayer during their council meetings.

North Liberty Mayor Tom Salm said no one has pushed for the city to include prayer at meetings and doubts the recent court ruling will change anything.

'I don't think anyone really thinks about it,” he said.

The Iowa Legislature also opens each day with prayer in the House and Senate while in session. Pate, who served as a state senator, said he thinks prayer is important.

'It might make some people uncomfortable but I think it is part of our lives and is something we have to recognize and work with,” Pate said.

According to a 2013 Pew Research survey, 55 percent of Americans polled said they pray every day while 21 percent said they seldom or never prayed.

Corbett said the regular prayer remains 'pretty non-controversial” in Cedar Rapids and no one has raised any serious concerns outside of an occasional email or letter objecting to the practice.