Several residents and two former mayors told the council they were upset the menorah was no longer displayed in the City Hall lobby and asked the council to reconsider.

“There's one thing missing, the city menorah inside,” said a former mayor identified in the record as Eric Gavin during public comment. Former mayor Rochelle Litt told the council she could not sit quietly after seeing the menorah removed and urged the council to restore the display, saying the menorah is part of holiday recognition. Former mayor David Levy said the menorah made him “feel a part of the city.”

Council asked staff to place the item on a future agenda for discussion. Later in the meeting the city attorney, identified in the transcript as Max, explained the legal reasoning: the city had received a threatened lawsuit and decided not to risk litigation by placing a religious symbol in the lobby. “The menorah ... and the 9‑branch menorah ... are unequivocally symbols of the Jewish religion,” Max said, arguing the city confines religious displays to a designated free‑speech zone to avoid being required to allow other private religious displays on city property.

Why it matters: Residents framed the menorah's removal as a matter of inclusion; city staff and the attorney framed the decision as legally motivated, not preferential, and said the city will consider the issue at a later council discussion.

No formal council decision to restore the menorah was made at the meeting; the mayor said the matter would be placed on the agenda for council discussion.