Dane County supervisor wants pledge dropped from meetings

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Dane County supervisor wants to eliminate the Pledge of Allegiance from county board meetings, claiming the recitation is divisive.

Heidi Wegleitner has proposed removing the pledge as well as the word “prayer” from the board rules, which are currently undergoing a biannual redraft.

“This time of year when we are reviewing our rules let’s be intentional about why do we do this,” she said.

Wegleitner said she looked into which area governmental bodies recite the pledge at the start of meetings and found an inconsistency to whether it was done. Municipalities that don’t have the pledge on their agendas include Madison and Waunakee.

“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.”

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 aspect so four county is we had that freedom to worship or not worship,” Weigland said. “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.”

In a statement Monday night, he urged supporters to email the board to oppose removing the Pledge from meetings.

“The fact that we have the freedom and opportunity to pray openly and freely, we should not be taking this out of the conversation and out of the equation,” Weigland said.

The board’s executive committee will consider Wegleitner’s proposal at a meeting Thursday, although newly elected supervisors would have the final say following the April 5 election.

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