Riverton City Council’s prayer practice scrutinized

RIVERTON –  On any given Tuesday night, the Riverton City Council might discuss septic systems, snow removal or city streets. Agendas change, priorities change, and even those at the council table change, but one thing remains the same: The city’s years-long practice of bowing heads and crossing hands as the room is led in a prayer directed to Jesus Christ. 

But last week, one resident took issue with the practice, pointing to the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause as prohibiting the government from showing such a preference for Christian prayer. 

“You open every single one of these [meetings] with a Christian prayer – it’s unconstitutional,” resident Fred Poutre, who said he is Jewish, told the council. 

He said he’d called council members and received “unproductive” responses, with one council member reportedly calling him a whack job. 

Poutre suggested that if the council wanted to include prayers as part of council meetings, it ought to have the “decency to find someone from other religions [to occasionally lead prayers] so you’re not endorsing just one religion.” 

He pointed to prayers from Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tradition as a good place to start.

“But none of this happens,” Poutre said of including prayers of other religions. “Respect your constituents. Respect your Constitution.” 

 Although Poutre had left the meeting, Mayor Tim Hancock later commented on Poutre’s concerns. 

“I hesitate to respond to folks, especially when it’s something that’s such a difficult subject to talk about,” he said. “I understand that he thinks it’s unconstitutional to start with a prayer. I disagree.” 

Hancock, who is also a practicing attorney, pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court Case Greece v. Galloway. 

In that case, a 5-4 decision from the court upheld the New York town of Greece’s practice of opening meetings with a sectarian prayer. In the dissenting opinion, Justice Stephen G. Breyer argued that the town must do more to make its legislative prayer inclusive of other faiths. 

Hancock said that, if council members wanted to offer a different kind of prayer, or invite someone else to lead a prayer, they could do so. He said no one is forced to participate in the prayers; they are noted on the agenda, and people are free to step outside the room if they do not want to participate. 

“We make no effort to compel or exclude anyone,” Hancock said. 

The mayor reported that Poutre had threatened to sue the city. 

“When you threaten to sue me … you may feel dismissed, but I’m not going to start making comments that you can use in a deposition against me,” he added. “My intent is to continue that practice … As long as I’m mayor, we will open the meetings with a prayer.” 

Former mayor Ron Warpness approached the podium in support of the practice of offering a prayer before every meeting.

He recalled being on the council when some members wanted to begin saying prayers during council meetings, but the idea wasn’t unanimously agreed upon. 

Then, Warpness said, when former mayor Lars Baker took office, he just started doing it. 

“I’d just like to encourage you as strongly as I can,” noted Warpness. “You’re doing the right thing. Thank God.” 

Poutre reported that, in the days since the discussion took place at the council meeting, several council members have agreed to allow Rabbi Yaakov Raskin from Laramie to attend and lead a prayer at the next meeting. 

This story was published on July 12, 2025.