It came down to the addition of a single word for the a tree lighting ceremony, but that word carried enough significance for borough Councilwoman Charlene Storey to resign.
Minutes after the council voted 4-2 Thursday night to change the name of the ceremony from A Tree Lighting to A Christmas Tree Lighting, the councilwoman-at-large, left the meeting. She later submitted her letter of resignation with the municipal clerk's office.
"I cannot in good conscience continue to be part of a council that is exclusionary or to work with a Mayor who is such," Storey said in her letter.
When reached today, Storey said she regretted having to resign, but said the change "cuts non-Christians out of the loop and favors one religion."
Storey, who was raised Catholic but is now a "non-believer" and has never hidden that fact, said the issue is a matter of principle.
Changing the ceremony, she said, "turned it from a non-religious event to a religious one."
http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2015/12/roselle_park_councilwoman_quits_over_tree_lighting.html
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