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Red flags at recent Moscow candidate forum

At the candidate forum sponsored by the Moscow League of Women Voters, candidate James Urquidez made some statements that were truly disturbing and raised a red flag about his candidacy.

In discussing religion and government, he brought up Christ Church and Doug Wilson’s stated mission of “making Moscow a Christian town.” Urquidez said, “that’s the battle cry of every religion. Muslims want everyone to be Muslim.”

It seems as a candidate he sees nothing wrong in using the ballot to make Moscow a Christian town, thus undermining the spirit of inclusivity and freedom that welcomes and respects a wide spectrum of faiths, cultures and beliefs.

Urquidez went on to say “there’s a big population of Christians in the town that I think need to be represented on City Council.” That’s even more scary. It seems Urquidez thinks we should vote according to the candidate’s religious belief and perhaps have representation on council according to size of faith affiliation.

I believe that everyone is free to follow the religious organization of their choice, and religious affiliation should not be a factor in choosing an elected official.

I want to elect council members who make decisions based on knowledge of the issue, input from Moscow citizens, and a good working knowledge of how cities are most efficiently run for the benefit of all of Moscow’s citizens. Religious beliefs have no place in these deliberations.

Please vote for candidates Zabala, Kelly, and Laflin, who support openness and diversity in Moscow’s town and government.

Mary Jo Hamilton
Moscow

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