Fire and brimstone for US mayor who fights the devil

Perhaps it was common in medieval Europe, but rarely in the modern age do elected officials take it upon themselves to exorcise Satan from an entire municipality. But it has happened to the seaside town of Inglis, Florida, and while some of its residents may feel closer to God, others are not sure they entirely approve.

Caught in a controversy that is getting national attention is Mayor Carolyn Risher, who thought she was helping everyone by telling the devil to take a hike out of town. In early November she was fretting about teenagers taking drugs and having sex, and about 11 September.

First, she issued a proclamation, with her official seal, on the city's letterhead. "Be it known from this day forward that Satan, ruler of darkness, giver of evil, destroyer of what is good and just, is not now, nor ever again will be, a part of this town of Inglis," it said. "Satan is declared powerless, no longer ruling over, nor influencing, our citizens."

Then, with a local priest, she erected wooden posts beside the main roads leading into town. With a muttering of prayers, she slipped copies of the proclamation into hollows carved into each of the posts. That, she imagined, would be that. Inglis, population 1,400, would be blessed only by God.

But Mayor Risher forgot that government officials in the US are not meant to mix religion and official business. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, she has egregiously violated this principle of separation of church from state. The organisation is threatening to sue.

"This is the most extreme intrusion into religion by a public official that I have seen in 27 years as a director of the Aclu," said Howard Simon, the organisation's executive director in Florida.

Responsible for alerting Aclu is Polly Bowser, a resident of Inglis. "Everyone in this town sticks their head in the ground," said Ms Bowser, 36. "Well, I'm not backing down." Faced with a possible lawsuit, town officials have explained that Ms Risher was acting privately. Yet the proclamation was issued on official town stationery and, indeed, she has a framed copy above her desk in city hall. "When she put it on the town letterhead, she crossed the line," said Ms Bowser.

The mayor is unmoved by the furore. She had been impelled to act after watching the twin towers fall in New York, she said. "We need to be ready to meet our maker. If our churches band together and pray, our nation and our town can be a godly nation and a godly town."