I support our Mayor Byron Champlin and have voted for him. Every time I have contacted him via email he has responded promptly and in a way that shows he read and understood my concern. I don’t agree with his stance on the display put in front of the State House by The Satanic Temple. In the Concord Monitor, Mayor Champlin was quoted as saying, “My preference was to deny the permit and accept the risk of the threatened lawsuit.” As a fiscal conservative and taxpayer in the city I don’t want my tax dollars wasted on litigation the city would certainly lose.

The First Amendment prevents the government from saying one religion is valid while another one is invalid. If we allow a nativity scene in front of the State House, we need to allow other religions the ability to put up a display. Please spare me the “what about the children” angle. The display put up wouldn’t even be the fifth scariest display in my neighborhood on Halloween. As a parent you could use the opportunity to explain to your children some people have different religious beliefs and the lesson is the government should stay out of it. Alas, some vandals showed just how tolerant a community we are.

Adam Czarkowski

Penacook