INGLIS - The American Civil Liberties Union is threatening a federal lawsuit against the mayor of this hamlet for her proclamation banning Satan within the town limits.
The ACLU has sent a letter to Mayor Carolyn Risher saying it will file a federal lawsuit unless she removes anti-Satan proclamations from four posts that sit at the town's entrances.
The group also wants the town commission to pass a resolution repealing Risher's edict and demands Risher reimburse the town for any costs of printing it.
Risher, citing advice from the town attorney, declined comment, the Citrus County Chronicle reported in Thursday's editions.
Risher, the mayor for nine years, wrote the proclamation on Halloween night. It was typed on town stationary, signed by Risher and Town Clerk Sally McCrainie, and affixed with the town seal.
Risher, a devout Christian, put a copy on her office wall and then placed others at the town entrances. She has contacted Liberty Counsel, a nationwide religion-based organization that offers legal help, for possible assistance.
ACLU attorney Gary S. Edinger says in the letter his group is acting on behalf of Polly Bowser, a resident of this town of 1,400 about 75 miles north of Tampa.
Bowser said she was outraged when she saw a copy of the proclamation on the door to the community center.
Bowser started a petition drive to remove Risher but has backed off the issue, saying she and her family are suffering for it.
Bowser said Wednesday she contacted the ACLU in early December but hadn't spoken with anyone there since. She said she's not sure if she backs the potential lawsuit, but Edinger said the ACLU will act as plaintiff should Bowser decline involvement
"We have constitutional protections against the establishment of religions," Edinger said. "When it is not followed, and in fact rubbed in the nose of the public, it becomes a little more important."