NC County Commission Chairman Walks Out On Muslim Prayer



Back in May, I told you that the chairman of the county commission in Lincoln County, North Carolina–northwest of my hometown of Charlotte–was none too pleased at a federal court telling another county that it could no longer open its meetings with sectarian prayers. Chairman Carrol Mitchem declared that as long as he had any say in the matter, non-Christians wouldn’t be allowed to pray at county commission meetings in Lincoln County. Mitchem said that since this is a Christian nation, non-Christians don’t have any business telling him who can pray–and anyone who didn’t like it could “stay the hell away.”

Lincoln County Commission chairman Carrol Mitchem (courtesy Lincoln Times-News via WBTV)
Lincoln County Commission chairman Carrol Mitchem (courtesy Lincoln Times-News via WBTV)

Fortunately, cooler heads on the all-Republican county commission realized that if Mitchem were allowed to make good on his threat, it would result in a lawsuit that the county would almost certainly lose–and lose big. A few days later, the county commission voted to allow any religious leader in the county to open meetings with prayer. That avoided the issue that got the county commission in nearby Rowan County in trouble with a federal judge; in that county, only the commissioners could open meetings in prayer. A seemingly chastened Mitchem apologized for his previous comments, saying that “the opinion I gave was my own,” not that of the commission as a whole.

Well, that moment of peaceful coexistence didn’t last long. At last night’s county commission meeting, a Muslim was due to open the meeting in prayer for the first time. Namely, Duston Barto of the Foothills Interfaith Assembly. Just before Barto was due to speak, Mitchem walked out–and didn’t come back until just before the Pledge of Allegiance. It turned out that back in May, he’d let it be known that if a Muslim ever gave an invocation, he wouldn’t listen to it. According to WBTV in Charlotte, Mitchem wasn’t the only county official who didn’t like the idea of a Muslim praying at a county meeting. A WBTV reporter noticed that county attorney Wes Deaton appeared to turn his back to Barto.

Fellow commissioner Alex Patton was so disgusted by Mitchem’s actions that he gave Mitchem an unusual public rebuke. At the very end of the meeting, Patton moved to replace the invocation with a moment of silence. The motion carried, 4-1; Mitchem was the lone dissenter. He later called Patton a “lunatic.”

Patton had been weighing ending invocations altogether due to a lack of participation from local clergy, as well as the difficulty in buying advertising. However, he told WSOC-TV in Charlotte that “the final straw was when our chairman got up and walked out.” He felt that it was time for the county commission to focus on education and the economy, and not get sidetracked on issues like who could give an invocation at a meeting. However, Patton hinted that at some point, invocations could be brought back. If only more elected officials across this country thought that way, chances are that the average citizen would be a little more trusting of government at all levels.

In another apparent swipe at Mitchem, Patton said that he was “elected to serve every resident in Lincoln County whether I agree with them or not.”  Barto, who felt Mitchem’s display was “very upsetting,” questioned the timing of Patton’s motion, especially considering that there was no chance for public comment.


I don’t think there’s really enough evidence to indicate whether this motion was planned. What is beyond dispute, though, is that this is one case where you can’t blame those evil, God-hating libruls for not being able to pray at a government meeting.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.