Mat-Su assembly to consider Ten Commandments, 'historical documents' displays in libraries, borough office lobby

What you need to know:

• The Mat-Su Assembly on Tuesday will consider a proposal to display the Ten Commandments and five other documents in area public libraries and the lobby of the borough administration building in Palmer.
• The display would include the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and the preamble to the Alaska Constitution. The resolution is proposed by Assembly member Ron Bernier.
• The borough assembly is scheduled to consider the proposal at a meeting on October 1.

PALMER — The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly on Tuesday will consider a resolution directing officials to display the Ten Commandments and five other documents in the borough's five public libraries and the lobby of the borough administration building in Palmer.

The display would “honor historical documents” that influenced U.S. law and “remind everyone entering... of the societal bonds we all share,” according to a memo accompanying the proposal. It would include the Ten Commandments, the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and the preamble to the Alaska Constitution, the resolution states.

The proposal is sponsored by Assembly member Ron Bernier, whose district includes Talkeetna. While the resolution currently on file with the borough does not address libraries, Bernier said he plans to add that requirement as an amendment when the resolution goes before the assembly next week.

Bernier said his resolution was inspired by a Louisiana law passed this summer that ordered the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. That policy is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, which argues the requirement violates the First Amendment rights of students and staff.

Bernier said he originally intended to propose a display with only the Ten Commandments but was advised by a borough attorney that unless additional texts were included, such a move could open the administration to legal action.

"I wanted to find a way to put the Ten Commandments in there legally," he said in an interview. "This is not the same country I grew up in, and I would like to see that old country come back."

The resolution does not address the display’s design, size or funding. Bernier said he expects it to be donated by an outside organization.

The proposal is scheduled for consideration at the borough's regular meeting on Oct. 1. Bernier said he hopes the public will attend and offer comments.

“I want to see as much public input as possible, just to see if we're voting the right way, for one, and how much interest the public has in it as well,” he said.

-- Amy Bushatz can be contacted at abushatz@matsusentinel.com.