Mayor reneges on settlement, Ill. church’s renovation project in limbo
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4551
ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE
June 6, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom
Mayor reneges on settlement,
Ill. church’s renovation project in limbo
ADF-allied attorney shocked as mayor vetoes settlement he previously approved,
church left with thousands of dollars in expenses
CARLINVILLE, Ill. — After an Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney secured a settlement agreement with the city of Carlinville over a church’s renovation of a former Wal-Mart building, Mayor Robert Schwab vetoed the agreement Thursday. He was a part of the negotiating team that originally approved the settlement with the court, prior to his veto of the city council’s decision. The agreement would have allowed the Carlinville Southern Baptist Church to proceed in renovating the building and end the church’s lawsuit disputing zoning regulations, but the mayor’s actions prevented that and has left the congregation holding the bag on thousands of dollars of expenses.
“Churches should not be singled out for discrimination by a city’s zoning restrictions,” said ADF Senior Counsel Joe Infranco. “The mayor has no legal basis for keeping the church from using this building for religious purposes. Federal law clearly establishes this. He should have honored the settlement agreement that the city council approved and avoided prolonging this situation needlessly.”
“The veto comes as a shock to many who thought we would finally be able to put this matter to rest,” said ADF-allied attorney Daniel P. Dalton, who represents the church. “The church had all but been assured by the city that the case would be settled today.”
On March 18, Dalton filed suit on the church’s behalf, claiming that by attempting to block the congregation’s purchase, renovation, and use of the former Wal-Mart, the city of Carlinville was in violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a federal law which protects churches from discrimination in land use disputes with local governments. The mayor’s duplicity could cause the church much hardship, as it already commissioned volunteers to remodel the structure for ministry use and ordered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of building supplies.
A copy of the settlement agreement filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, Springfield Division, which was later vetoed by the mayor in Carlinville Southern Baptist Church v. City of Carlinville is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/CSBCSettlementAgreement.pdf.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
One Comment
I smell a rat.