Mayor bedeviled by proclamation banning Satan from her sleepy Florida town

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Posted 9:23AM on Monday, April 15, 2002

INGLIS, Fla. - The last time an agent of temptation came to this sleepy hamlet near the Gulf Coast, throngs of screaming girls followed his every move. Forty-years later, a more pernicious force than Elvis Presley was apparently stalking the town -- Satan. Or so the mayor believed. Mayor Carolyn Risher began seeing growing examples of what she deemed Satan's work: instances of fathers abusing their children, increased drug use and children wearing devil costumes for Halloween. So Risher did what she thought any good public servant would do for the town's 1,400 residents. She wrote a proclamation banning Satan from the town's three square miles. "We exercise our authority over the devil in Jesus' name," the Nov. 5-dated proclamation read. "By that authority ... we command all satanic and demonic forces to cease their activities and depart the town of Inglis." The mayor ended the proclamation by saying she was taking this action "in accordance with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." What followed was an international uproar that has raised questions about the appropriateness of religion in government. Risher has received hundreds of letters, from as far away as Australia and Spain, praising her for taking a stand against evil. She also has been condemned by advocates of church and state separation. The town hall now frequently receives phone calls from pranksters claiming to be Satan. Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" sent a correspondent who put a person in a red-devil's costume and had residents chase him out of town for the camera. Some residents talked about getting a petition to remove the mayor from office but that effort has been put on hold. "She used this for self-glorification, trying to make a name for herself and I can't condone it," said town commissioner Floyd Craig, who plans to run against Risher next year. The American Civil Liberties Union considered filing a lawsuit but backed off after town commissioners said the proclamation was not an official town act because it wasn't approved by the commission. Risher reimbursed the town more than $13 for the costs of stationery, copying and telephone calls related to the proclamation. "It's not like we're on a witch hunt for the mayor, we just want to make sure she's following the Constitution," said Gary Edinger, an ACLU attorney in Gainesville. Risher, a 61-year-old Pentecostal who has been mayor for 10 years, said she had no intention of offending anyone and doesn't believe she was violating the Constitution because she wasn't establishing a religion. Inglis, located 75 miles north of Tampa, has a handful of churches and just a scattering of businesses. Many residents work at nearby power plants. It is a community where the mayor has a painting of "The Last Supper" in her office. A sign behind the receptionist's desk in the police department reads, "Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help, so relax and have a good day." Some town residents said Risher is a good mayor and a well-meaning, friendly, no-nonsense leader. But many worry that her actions have made the town -- where Presley filmed "Follow That Dream" -- a laughingstock. "People think it's kind of a joke in the area," said Sunny Price, owner of River Coast Realty. "She's entitled to believe whatever she believes in but don't do it in the name of the town." There has been no decrease in crime since the proclamation, although there wasn't a lot of crime in the first place, said Inglis Police Chief Mitchell Billups. The last murder happened about 20 years ago. One crime has even involved the proclamation. Risher ordered rolled-up copies of it inserted into four hollowed-out wooden posts on which were painted "repent, request, resist." The posts were placed at the entrance to the town -- only to be removed by vandals. The posts were replaced with reinforced concrete and after the ACLU stepped in, they were moved off a state road to private property. Some residents said they wholeheartedly support the mayor and believe that too much of public life is devoid of religion. "It's kind of quaint and unique and it kind of harkens back to the 16th century," joked pawn shop owner Steve Baughn, who hung the proclamation in his shop.