Councilwoman rescinds resignation over ‘Christmas’ tree
Roselle Park Mayor Carl Hokanson, who proposed the move, praised Storey for her work on the council.
The vote brings back the original name of the tree lighting ceremony, which was removed during the 1990s after a vote to change the name to “Annual Holiday Tree Lighting” won out. The ceremony will be called a Christmas tree lighting on December 11th, and this point forward, but Councilwoman Storey says this needs to be a topic of conversation, a discussion she will have with the committee moving forward.
A New Jersey city council member is resigning because officials in her town have changed the name of a tree lighting ceremony to include the word “Christmas”.
Charlene Storey announced her decision to step down just minutes after the Roselle Park council approved the change Thursday, NJ.com reported. Now, from this point forward, it will be called a “Christmas tree” lighting ceremony.
Storey, who said she was unaware the vote had been on the agenda, chose to take a stand after her fellow legislators voted 4-2 in favor of the change. “It would be inclusive”. “There were bigger things to be worrying about right now and this was something that could wait”.
“It’s not a street, it’s not a building, it’s a Christmas tree”, Hokanson said. After Roselle Park changed the name of its “The Tree Lighting” to ‘The Christmas Tree Lighting, ‘ Councilwoman At-Large Charlene Storey quit, saying the move endorsed one religion over others.
Starbucks came under fire for its new holiday cup, which lacks any holiday-themed artwork.
Hokansan said he had no intentions of being exclusionary, but that “a Christmas tree is a Christmas tree”.
Yes, Christmas is a cultural holiday as well as a religious one.
Feuerstein’s comment created a frenzy among numerous people who stood behind his beliefs, and many began publicly bashing the coffee company.
In a statement released before she revealed she was no longer resigning, Storey called the issue a matter of principle.