A total of 12 people spoke during Monday’s commissioners meeting about a prayer lawsuit that involves Rowan County and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The suit has declared commissioners’ practice of offering sectarian prayer from 2007 to 2013 unconstitutional.

In order, the speakers who talked about prayer included China Grove resident William Luke Hamaty, former County Commissioners Chairman Jim Sides, China Grove resident Rabbi Will McCubbins, Cleveland resident Ronald Young, Rowan County resident Larry Wright, Landis resident and School Board Vice President Dean Hunter, Kannapolis resident Ricky Williams, Salisbury resident Geoffrey Hoy, China Grove resident Rev. Joel Ervin and Salisbury resident John Burke.

Support of an appeal was mixed. No speaker against appealing the lawsuit, however, mentioned that the practice was discriminatory.

Hamaty for example said that no one attending a commissioners meeting, including commissioners and county staff, are free to speak without permission of the chairman.

“Everyone here has a right to freedom of speech and religion and to pray as they like, but not here and not right now,” he said. “From the moment that you called this meeting to order, nobody is free to speak without the chairman’s permission or to exercise their religion in a way that the chairman, and the chairman alone, deems disruptive to the county. There are rules regarding how this meeting is to be conducted.”

Speakers in favor of an appeal talked about various reasons to continue the lawsuit. Hughes, for example, said that being elected to office doesn’t mute the right to pray as one pleases. Multiple other speakers also focused on commissioners having the right to pray as they wish, according to the constitution.

“The Bible says where the spirit of the Lord is there is unity,” Ervin said. “This country was founded as a republic nation. There was no separation of church and state. The church influenced the state. They worked together.”

Commissioners ultimately voted unanimously to appeal a federal judge’s ruling. The case will go from North Carolina’s Middle District to the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Satirical poll released for North Carolina Governor’s Race

First, it was the left-leaning group Public Policy Polling. Then, it was Gov. Pat McCrory’s own campaign.

Both groups this week released polls for the North Carolina governor’s race, which includes McCrory as the likely Republican nominee and Attorney General Roy Cooper as the Democratic nominee. Public Policy Polling surveyed 561 registered voters. In its mostly satirical email, McCrory’s campaign said it surveyed 723 registered Republicans 40 Democrats and 20 Independents.

“These respondents don’t live in the General Assembly like the North Carolina press corps does,” wrote McCrory’s campaign in the emailed poll.

Public Policy Polling’s results found Cooper with a 44 percent to 41 percent lead over McCrory in the governor’s race. The group’s poll said voters are souring on McCrory and said his approval “continue to be under water.”

In the McCrory campaign’s poll — cynically titled RRR polling — McCrory was listed as leading Cooper by 25 points. The poll stated that it had a 0 percent margin of error.

“One respondent thought Roy Cooper was running to be president of UNC not governor of North Carolina,” the poll said.

Board of Elections to host series of public hearings

As the North Carolina Board of Elections looks to implement voter ID requirements, it will have public hearings at multiple locations throughout the state.

The first public hearing was on Wednesday in Raleigh. The last public hearing will be in Tarboro on June 15.

Charlotte and Winston-Salem will be the locations of the closest public hearings to Salisbury.

The Charlotte public hearing will be at 5 p.m. on June 8 in Hal Marshall Auditorium‚ 700 North Tryon St. The Winston-Salem public hearing will be at 5 p.m. on June 9 in Forsyth County Government Center’s multi-purpose room — 201 Chestnut Street.

A full list of locations and the proposed rules can be found in the bottom left corner of the website of State Board of Elections. It’s on the front page under a tab titled “Rule-making.”

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.