clipped from: www.postcrescent.com   
An alderman who helped install a controversial nativity scene on a City Hall ledge, but later changed tack, has asked Mayor Jim Schmitt to order the display removed.

City Council Vice President Chris Wery submitted a letter to the mayor's office asking that the display come down to help restore peace over the issue and to give the city the chance to avoid a lawsuit and develop a policy for future displays.

"I am hopeful in the spirit of the season, should the display be removed, that all talk of lawsuits will end," Wery wrote. "Neither side wants to divide our community."

Schmitt was out of the office on city business Thursday but issued an open letter to the residents of Green Bay in which he expressed confidence that the city's display "will pass constitutional muster.