Ottumwa Council Erupts After Ex-Member Ends Invocation With 2-Word 'Hail Satan'

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 8

Ottumwa's City Council meeting broke down Tuesday after former council member Matt Dalbey delivered an opening invocation to the "dark father" and closed with "Hail Satan."
Rick Bick, a local pastor, interrupted after roll call to demand the city "reverse" what he called a curse, and Mayor Benjamin Foote overruled an effort to move on by ordering 30 seconds of silence for prayer or reflection.
Cara Galloway said the clash showed the risk of allowing invocations at all, arguing that once the council opened the practice to all viewpoints, objections to disfavored prayers could expose taxpayers to legal liability.
A January policy says Ottumwa does not endorse any faith and allows diverse belief systems, while Dalbey said the prayer is used by the Satanic Temple of Iowa and does not reflect belief in a literal satanic deity.
Foote said the invocation did not reflect Ottumwa's values, and council member Bill Hoffman said he left the room during the prayer but still defended Dalbey's First Amendment right to give it.