The editorial board commends Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy for deciding to bow out of the annual Eugene-Springfield Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast, to be held this year at the Eugene Hilton. In a time when the line between church and state has been blurred and religious acceptance has been narrowed, Piercy has shown true strength in the face of hundreds of complaints from local residents.
At a West University Neighbors meeting Thursday evening, Piercy said she wanted to represent people of all religious beliefs, a principle that has guided her leadership in other public positions for years. In addition, Piercy said attending the June breakfast would weaken the separation between church and state. The decision contrasts with Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken’s readiness to give the welcome at the breakfast, which is sponsored by private Christian citizens but not sanctioned by the city. Leiken has cited his self-described “corny” rationale for attending the breakfast: He believes in American freedoms, and he’s not going to give those up just because he holds a public office.
We strongly disagree with Leiken’s shallow evaluation of this event and of his position.
If a mayor, as the leader of a city’s policies and growth, attends an event sponsored by a certain religious group that says it believes “there’s room for spiritual substance in the political dialogue,” he or she is showing an openness to something that has caused very real religious strife in this city and in this country. Once elected to a public office, an official has the duty to represent his or her citizens to the best of his or her ability. When a mayor believes it is unimportant to sacrifice some personal beliefs to better serve his or her constituents in an unbiased fashion, that person shouldn’t take on the profound duties of an elected office.
Piercy has not shown disregard for the prayers of the people of Eugene, as she has been publicly accused of doing. Instead, she has presented a genuine sensitivity and sense of sacrifice and duty for the greater good of Eugene’s diverse array of residents.

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