Madison City Council members decided Tuesday night that they will not reconsider the wording of a resolution of support for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Only two weeks after terrorist attacks struck a mighty blow to U.S. economic complacency and emotional stature, the Madison City Council fought a local battle over the separation of church and state.

At its Sept. 25 meeting, the council voted to amend Mayor Sue Bauman’s resolution statement of support to read “thoughts and sympathies” instead of the original “thoughts and prayers.”

Ald. Cindy Thomas, District 7, addressed the council.

“I made a mistake on Sept. 25, and now we have a chance to rectify our image,” Thomas said.

The general sentiment of the council was that bickering over the inclusion of religion in the mayor’s original statement was insensitive and brought issues of politics to the table that were absolutely unnecessary. Speakers cited the nation’s urgent and imperative need to band together in a time of undeniable hardship.

“The appropriate action for me to take on [Sept.] 25 was to reinforce without amendment the mayor’s resolution and to keep it from turning into a game of political football,” Thomas said.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he thought Thomas deserved to address the council on what she called a mistake, but was glad no one else spoke on the matter.

“This had the potential to become an explosive, unfortunate debate similar to the school board meeting last night,” Verveer said. “With the advanced media coverage and this potential, I, along with half the council, thought it inappropriate to reopen debate on the topic.”

In a 10-9 vote, Thomas’ resolution was defeated; the council requires 11 votes to pass a resolution.