Sunnyside dares to pray

SUNNYSIDE (2-17-98)--A prayer and flag salute preceded the Sunnyside City Council meeting as scheduled this evening.

TV cameras rolled, reporters pencils scribbled across paper pads, and a man quietly translated the whole thing into Spanish.

TV reporters collared Councilman Don Vlieger and asked him to comment about prayer prior to council meetings. He told them the council had the right to authorize prayer, and that precedents put the city on solid legal ground.

Only one person spoke out against the short prayer by Police Chaplain Bill Eikenbary. And that was well into the meeting, at an inappropriate time.

While the council was discussing hiring procedures for a new city manager, Arly Still stalked up to the podium.

He provided the single complaint about the prayer that sent the paparrazi into camera-clicking conniptions.

"I don't believe a public meeting is the right place for prayer," said the crewcut, bespectacled Still.

Mayor Ed Prilucik protested. "We're not on this subject, sir," he said.

Still shot back that, "I don't care what subject you're on. I don't want to sit through any more. This meeting is boring, and you have been advised," he said.

Then Still left council chambers.

Without missing a beat, the council returned to discussing procedures for hiring a city manager.

In the end, they agreed to massage their questionnaire a bit more, and devise a 100-point system to rate candidates.In other business, the council:

 

• Agreed 4-3 to adopt--until next fall--Bleyhl Farm Service's bid to provide gasoline for city vehicles. The bid request will be reissued in October.Agreed to accept a $1,529 dun from Wensel Construction for staff travel from Boise to Sunnyside for an "annual walk through" inspection of the new Law and Justice Center. Councilmen said that, from now on, vendors would pay their own travel for the privilege of doing business with the city.
• Heard Sprint's Brad Kemp tell them the phone snafu at the L&J Center was his company's fault. Camp said Sprint found what went wrong with the phones and would reimburse the city for down time.
• Okayed liquor licenses for Dairy Fair, 400 Alexander Rd.; E. Edison Food & Deli, 1520 E. Edison Ave.; Park-N-Pak, 905 Lincoln; Rice's Mini Mart, 701 S. 6th St.; plus the Tillicum Restaurant and Sundance Lounge, 410 Yakima Valley Hwy.
• Accepted from the late Mabel Maple the gift of a home at 920 Decatur Ave., with any sale proceeds to flow into the Sunnyside Fire Dept. The home will be listed as a city asset reportedly worth $60,000. If it is sold, dollars will go into the city budget.
• Confirmed Terrie Willard's appointment to the City Planning Commission.
• Officially approved raising Acting City Mgr. Mark Kunkler's salary to that of city manager, in line with his new duties, retroactive to Jan. 1. He also is city attorney.
• Noted the Lower Valley Rural Enterprise Committee is working on a planning grant for a new community center. Vlieger urged councilmen and citizens to become involved.
• Authorized dollars to contract with a state electrician to check the wiring in the old police department building.