Heidi Wegleitner has suggested removing the pledge and the word “prayer” from the board rules, which are now undergoing a biannual redraft. The Dane County Board’s executive committee will consider Wegleitner’s proposal at a meeting Thursday, although recently elected supervisors would have the last say following the April 5 election.
“It just doesn’t feel like it’s appropriate for us to be doing when in a pluralistic society we want to be inclusive and representative,” Wegleitner explained to Madison.com. “At the end of the day, I think it’s divisive.” Wegleitner announced she looked into which area governmental bodies recite the pledge at the beginning of meetings and found inconsistencies, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
WATCH: ESPN HOST- DEMOCRAT STRATEGY IS NOT WORKING
Municipalities that do not have the pledge on their agendas include Madison and Waunakee, she announced. Other municipalities, like Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, and Verona, include it, according to those cities’ agendas. Wegleitner drew parallels between declining to say the pledge to professional athletes taking the knee throughout the national anthem. “There’s other ways to show community and shared values,” Wegleitner stated.
WATCH: 2004 SNL SKETCH: "DONALD TRUMP’S HOUSE OF WINGS”
The first version of the Pledge of Allegiance was composed in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a socialist minister. In 1954, Congress revised the pledge to add the words “under God” at the urging of President Dwight Eisenhower.
Board member Tim Rockwell claimed that the option to pray at the beginning of meetings makes the board more inclusive and diverse, stressing that over 45 percent of Dane County is religious. “This is all in the same city that is home to the Freedom From Religion Foundation,” Rockwell stated, explaining that the county’s religious diversity should be “celebrated and not squashed.”
TAXPAYER DOLLARS AT WORK: OUTRAGE OVER UC BERKELEY'S TAYLOR SWIFT MARKETING CLASS
Wegleitner, a married mother-of-one, has been on the Board of Supervisors since 2012. Her current term ends in April, and she is running for re-election next month. “Local governments, common council, they don’t say the Pledge of Allegiance,” said Wegleitner. “There are other local governments that don’t. I think it’s here because it’s been here for a while. We haven’t had a discussion on it. That’s what I’m trying to do is create a discussion.”
TRUMP POINTS (MIDDLE) FINGER AT BIDEN AS PRO-HAMAS DEMONSTRATIONS DESTROY THE IVY'S
Her proposal has already drawn criticism from at least one fellow supervisor. Jeff Weigand said he was “amazed” by the proposal and urged his supporters to stand with him.
“One of the greatest aspects of our county is we had that freedom to worship or not worship,” Weigland announced. “That’s why I like the Pledge of Allegiance because it’s the least we can do to support the men and women who have sacrificed to maintain the freedom we have in this country.”
Before seeking public office, Wegleitner worked as a public interest attorney representing low-income tenants in eviction cases.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
