Kira Erickson reports for the South Whidbey Record from the Langley City Council meeting of Jul. 3, 2023.
While the Pledge of Allegiance will not be a requirement at future Langley City Council meetings, a moment of silence will give anyone in the room the opportunity to recite it if they so choose.
During a city council meeting this week, Langley Mayor Scott Chaplin recommended refraining from recitation of the patriotic verse that originated in 1892. He cited an article from Smithsonian Magazine about the pledge’s problematic history and creator Francis Bellamy, who espoused racist and xenophobic ideals. During the Red Scare in the 1950s, the words “under God” were added to the pledge to distinguish the U.S. from “godless Communism.”
Choosing the opening words for each council meeting is under the mayor’s purview, and currently includes a land acknowledgement of the Snohomish people.
They Said It
Chaplin, however, said he had no issue with people getting together before meeting to recite it.
“It’s a free country, and that’s what freedom’s all about, is not imposing your beliefs on other people but letting them be free to have theirs,” he said.
Councilmember Thomas Gill, who is running for mayor, brought up reinstating the Pledge of Allegiance at a previous council meeting at the suggestion of Finance Director Wanda Grone. This week he said it seems “out of sorts” for the city not to recite it, when other entities, such as the Island County Board of Commissioners and the Port of South Whidbey, stand for the pledge at each regular meeting.
Councilmember Harolynne Bobis said she was perfectly fine with dropping “under God” since it wasn’t part of the original pledge.
“Part of the reason I want to say the pledge is as an African American, I don’t know where I come from,” she said. “Ancestry will give me an idea of what the DNA says, but that doesn’t give me a country. This is my country, for better or for worse.”
Councilmember Gail Fleming said that knowing its history, she finds the pledge divisive. She suggested a moment of silence instead, which people could use to recite the pledge, say a prayer, do some deep breathing or whatever else it takes to get centered before a meeting.
Councilmembers Craig Cyr and Rhonda Salerno both agreed with Fleming’s suggestion. Cyr said he is not a fan of regimented recitation.
On the Ballot in 2023
| CITY OF LANGLEY |
|---|
| City Councilmember, Position 3 Kay Kenneweg Chris Carlson Incumbent Thomas E. Gill is running for mayor. |
| City Councilmember, Position 4 Scott Chaplin Craig Cyr, the incumbent |
| Mayor Kennedy Horstman Thomas E. Gill Incumbent Scott Chaplin is running for a seat on the city council. |
