Peace pole to go up at City Hall

Jenny Marder

A symbol of peace that has divided the city in conflict since it was

first offered as a gift last year will be put up at City Hall, the

council decided Monday night.

The City Council voted 6 to 1 Monday night to accept an 8-foot

“peace pole” as a gift from a local church after lengthy debate about

the legal implications of the donation. The pole, donated to the city

by the Church of Religious Science bears the message, “Let there be

peace on Earth” in six languages: English, Spanish, Japanese,

Vietnamese, Chumash and American Sign Language.

Members of the church never imagined that the gift would fuel so

much controversy.

“In no way did we ever intend to cause any form of upset over

something which seemed so simple as a peace pole, a symbol of peace,”

said the Rev. Peggy Price, the church’s former minister.

The Rev. Paula Swavely, senior minister for the Huntington Beach

Church of Religious Science, pointed out that more than 50 peace

poles already exist in Orange County.

“It is meant to be a gift that acknowledges our diversity and our

unity,” Swavely said.

But Councilwoman Debbie Cook raised questions last year, and again

this week when the donation resurfaced, as to whether installing the

pole in a public place would put the city in a constitutional

quandary.

The city needs an ordinance that sets guidelines for the

acceptance of gifts, Cook said. Her concern: Accepting this gift

would render the city obligated to accept other, more controversial

gifts.

“I believe very strongly that if we accept theirs, we need to take

others as well,” Cook said.

The city, she said, could ultimately be sued for discrimination if

it chose to deny a gift with a message that was less benign.

“There is a case on the books where the Ku Klux Klan demanded to

have equal access to the park because it was a public forum -- and

they won,” Cook added.

To other City Council members, the real decision was placement of

the pole.

The library board had already voted 3 to 2 against installation of

the pole at the Huntington Beach Central Library.

Several other ideas for the pole’s placement were tossed around

including the sports complex, the pier and even private property,

such as Bella Terra or the Strand.

Finally, at Cook’s suggestion, the council voted unanimously to

place it at City Hall, beside the flagpole and a Vietnam memorial.

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. Reach her at (714) 965-7173 or

[email protected].