A proposal by Councilor Victoria Ferrer to add invocation, or prayer, to Battle Ground City Council meetings drew a packed room and passionate public comment during a Monday, May 18, council meeting, with most voicing support for its inclusion.
The discussion follows a May 4 council meeting during which Mayor Eric Overholser read a National Day of Prayer proclamation, and Councilor Victoria Ferrer later requested a future discussion on adding an invocation to council meetings.
Some county residents responded negatively during the May 4 meeting, while Jessica Cole, president of Evoke Cascadia, noted that Mayor Overholser recently denied requests for Pride Month and transgender-related proclamations.
At the May 18 meeting, Councilor Troy McCoy unsuccessfully attempted to waive the attorney-client privilege regarding a legal opinion the city previously received on prayer at council meetings. Deputy Mayor Aimee Vaile, Brian Munson, Ferrer and Overholser voted against the motion.
“So, just for the record, four of you do not want to let the public know our legal implications of adding prayer to this meeting,” McCoy said.
“Councilor McCoy, the motion has failed. We will move on,” Vaile, who presided from the dais while Overholser attended remotely via Zoom, replied.
Most residents who spoke during public comment on May 18 expressed support for adding invocations to council meetings, describing prayer as a longstanding tradition and a source of guidance for elected officials.
Battle Ground resident Skyler Martin said prayer would reconnect the city with historical traditions dating back to the nation’s founding.
“This is not a novel or new idea, although it’s become rare and even controversial, which kind of blows my mind,” Martin said. “In reality, it’s a return to one of our oldest traditions. The Continental Congress opened with prayer in 1774.”
He also tied prayer to civic leadership and decision-making.
“Those who govern are responsible for decisions that directly affect families and generations to come,” Martin said. “A moment of prayer is an acknowledgment of that humility.”
Battle Ground resident Alex Gardner also spoke in favor of invocation, saying public prayer encourages leaders to seek wisdom beyond themselves.
“Prayer does not replace good governance,” Gardner said. “It strengthens it. Prayer does not divide communities. It calls us toward common good, mutual respect and service beyond self-interest.”
Gardner added that council members carry significant responsibility for the community.
“Ultimately, prayer is not about preference or politics,” Gardner said. “It’s about recognizing that leadership requires wisdom greater than our own.”
Another supporter, Tyler Long, defended the council against criticism raised during the prior meeting and urged council members to continue considering invocation.
“I’m here tonight to encourage the mayor and this council for a few things … For the prayer proclamation and for the consideration of invocations,” he said. “Those are both objectively good ends.”
Long also criticized opponents of the proposal during his remarks.
“Please do not fall for her attempts to bend you into a mind pretzel,” Long said. “She does this because she can’t defend her worldview. Projection and slander are the only viable game plan.”
Long, a precinct committee officer with the Clark County Republican Party, previously appeared in reporting by The Reflector in connection with anti-levy political mailers sent to Battle Ground Public Schools voters earlier this year. Public Disclosure Commission records show that Long funded the mailers privately, with the Washington state Republican Party and the Clark County Republican Party listed as sponsors. Long confirmed his financial involvement with the mailers in an interview with The Reflector. The state party has denied involvement, and county party staff told the Public Disclosure Commission that they did not provide financial support to the campaign. As of press time, Long remains under investigation by the commission.
Some residents who opposed the proposal said adding prayer to council meetings could alienate community members and increase division.
Cole of Evoke Cascadia revisited concerns she previously raised about similarities between the city’s National Day of Prayer proclamation and prior Pride Month proclamation requests.
“The structure and wording are clearly based on the same document, just edited for a different purpose,” Cole said.
Cole also argued that continuing the discussion of invocation would create unnecessary costs and distractions.
“If our current system works and residents have clearly told us where they want focus and investment,” Cole said. “There’s no compelling reason to add something that creates costs and distractions from those priorities.”
Simon Graves, a nonbinary Battle Ground resident and volunteer with Evoke Cascadia, said adding invocation without broader recognition of other groups would send a harmful message.
“If the goal is inclusion, then it should include everyone, not just the groups the council favors,” Graves said.
“When you support the exclusion of people like me, you quite literally are making it less safe,” they added. “Excluding certain groups of people encourages others to do the same.”
The issue follows recent reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting that examined Christian political influence in Battle Ground and the connections between local leaders and associates of Maddox Industrial Transformer.
Longtime Battle Ground City Councilor Shane Bowman, who previously voted against continuing invocation discussions, later told The Reflector he believes the council should focus on issues that unite residents.
“For me, prayer is a personal thing. I pray before my meetings on (what) I need to pray about,” Bowman said. “I don’t think it’s something that I need to do publicly and be out in front of people with it. I just think that we need to be focused on things that are bringing the community together.”
Bowman also said the growing public backlash exemplifies the city’s increasing division.
“We’re focusing on things that are controversial and divisive to our community and not things that would bring our community together, finding the things we can agree on and focusing on that instead of worrying about the things we can’t agree on,” Bowman said.
The Clark County Council currently begins its Tuesday meetings with invocations delivered by religious and nonreligious speakers who request to participate.
Following Ferrer’s May 4 request, city staff are expected to present additional information about invocation practices at a future council meeting.
