Prayer at meetings challenged - Asbury Park Press

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The saying of the Lord’s Prayer at the start of Borough Council meetings has sparked a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey on behalf of a local resident who is Jewish and believes the recitation is an unconstitutional government endorsement of Christianity and thus a violation of her civil rights.

In a separate motion, the ACLU has filed an injunction to stop the prayer from being recited at future meetings pending the outcome of the case. In response, Borough Attorney Kevin B. Riordan is expected to advise the governing body to suspend the invocation of the prayer.

Sharon Brenner Cadalzo, 57, of Atlantic Avenue said in court documents that she has attended more than 45 council meetings over the past three years and plans to attend them in the future. Cadalzo, who is the borough’s former neighborhood preservation program coordinator, recently was named volunteer of the year by the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce. In February, she was honored for her community service with a resolution from the Ocean County Board of Freeholders.

Cadalzo is also active in her synagogue, where she sits on its board of directors.

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