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Community Corner

Arlington Heights Park District Approves Nativity Scene

Arlington Heights Park District approved permit to include nativity scene at North School Park holiday display. Scene will be set up Saturday afternoon.

Formally approved by the Arlington Heights Park District (AHPD) Thursday, the controversial nativity scene is coming to the village’s holiday display.

Set to go up Saturday afternoon, the nativity scene will be displayed in North School Park until the entire holiday display is taken down Jan. 6.

Former Arlington Heights resident and chairman of the Illinois Nativity Scene Committee (INSC), Jim Finnegan offered to donate a nativity scene to be included in the district’s display in mid-September.

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Initially, the park board denied Finnegan’s offer. According to park board president, Maryfran Leno, the district turned down Finnegan’s offer because it was inconsistent with the park district’s practice of only displaying its own decorations, which all fit in the parks’ holiday toy-theme.

In response to the board’s decision, on behalf of INSC, the Thomas More Society submitted a formal letter of complaint claiming the nativity scene display is protected under the First Amendment Nov. 20.

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“The Thomas More Society is correct in that freedom of speech is protected by the Constitution,” said Steve Scholten, executive director in a statement released Thursday. “Courts have generally held that public agencies must allow religious expression in public forums, on a non-discriminatory basis,” Scholten said. 

According to the AHPD’s attorney, INSC misconstrued and misrepresented the district’s position. Released by the park district, the letter stated, “The park district had merely refused to accept Finnegan’s offer to donate the nativity scene to the Park District for inclusion in its holiday light display, it had not denied the INSC’s right to display the nativity scene itself.”

Scholten said, “When it comes to managing the park district on a day to day basis, as employees of the district, we are bound to do what is legal under Federal law.” The executive director continued, “We do not impose our personal beliefs or religious views in these matters because we are stewards of both the public’s trust and tax dollars.”

. It was not until Dec. 3, after the complaint had been filed, that Finnegan began the formal application process.

Approved by the park board, the nativity scene will be added to the display at North School Park and INSC will be fully responsible for the privately owned and funded nativity scene. To avoid any confusion, a sign will be posted next to the scene to separate it from the Arlington Heights Park District's display. 

“We want to be perfectly clear on this, approval of Mr. Finnegan’s permit application to display the nativity scene should not in any way be seen as an indication that the nativity is now or that it will become an annual component in the district’s holiday light display,” Scholten stressed.

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