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LOCAL
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24 - 30, 2017 • Page 8
STONE MOUNTAIN
Gubernatorial candidate wants Confederate carving removed from Stone Mountain
Democratic governor candidate Stacey Abrams is calling for the Confederate carving to be removed
from Stone Mountain. Photo by Carla Parker
BY CARLA PARKER
carla@dekalbchamp.com
In the wake of the White
supremacists rally in Charlottesville,
Va., that led to three deaths, a
Democratic gubernatorial candidate
is calling for the Confederate carving
to be removed from Stone Mountain
in Stone Mountain Park.
In a series of tweets, Stacey
Abrams said on Twitter that the
carving of Confederate leaders on
the mountain is a “blight on our state
and should be removed.”
“The removal of the [carving] of
Confederates from Stone Mountain
has been a constant debate since the
state bought the property in 1958,”
she said. “Paid for by founders of
the [second] [Klu Klux Klan], the
monument has no purpose other
than celebration of racism, terror
and division when carved in 1915.
Confederate monuments belong in
museums where we can study and
reflect on that terrible history, not in
places of honor across our state.”
Abrams acknowledged the
managers of Stone Mountain Park
and their efforts to educate visitors
about slavery through an audio tour
in her tweets.
In an interview with The
Champion, Abrams said she wrote
these tweets after she was asked
where she stood on the issue of
Confederate memorials.
“We cannot celebrate, on state
grounds, the confederacy,” she
said. “The massive size [of Stone
Mountain] is much louder than any
degree of exhibits. You can see
Stone Mountain from everywhere.
You can see those leaders riding
triumphantly and it sends the wrong
message.”
The carving on the mountain
portrays three Confederate leaders
of the Civil War: President Jefferson
Davis and Generals Robert E.
Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall”
Jackson and their favorite horses,
“Blackjack,” “Traveller” and “Little
Sorrel.”
The carving was conceived by
C. Helen Plane, a charter member
of the United Daughters of the
Confederacy (UDC). The Venable
family, owners of the mountain,
deeded the north face of the
mountain to the UDC in 1916. The
UDC was given 12 years to complete
a large Civil War monument.
Gutzon Borglum was
commissioned to do the carving, but
abandoned the project in 1925 and
went on to begin Mount Rushmore.
American sculptor Augustus
Lukeman continued the project until
1928, when further work stopped
for thirty years. In 1958, at the
urging of Governor Marvin Griffin,
the Georgia Legislature approved
a measure to purchase Stone
Mountain for $1,125,000.
In 1963, Walker Hancock was
selected to complete the carving, and
work began in 1964. The carving was
completed by Roy Faulkner. The
carving was considered complete on
March 3, 1972.
For years, civil rights leaders and
activists have petitioned the state to
have the carving and Confederate
flags removed from the park, which
was the site of Ku Klux Klan rallies
in the 1960s. In 2015, thousands
of people signed a petition to have
See Confederate on Page 15A
DECATUR
Decatur
BY HORACE HOLLOMAN
horace@dekalbchamp.com
When Decatur
commissioners decided
to increase the mayor’s
salary in 1994, then Decatur
Mayor Elizabeth Wilson
made $50 a month. The
commission decided to
raise the salary to $500, an
increase of 900 percent.
Approximately 23 years
later, the Decatur City
Commission decided it was
time to raise the salary
again.
In a 4-0 vote Aug. 7
during a regular meeting
of the city commission,
commissioners and Mayor
Patti Garrett approved a
resolution to increase the
mayor’s salary from $500
per month to $1,250 per
month ($15,000 annually)
and $1,000 per month
($12,000 annually) for city
commissioners effective
Jan. 1,2018.
According to Decatur
City Manager Peggy
Meriss, the city analyzed
other municipal elected
officials’ salaries in DeKalb
County.
“The information
indicates that the current
salary for the mayor is 10
out of 11, only higher than
Pine Lake. The current
salary for the other city
commissioners is sixth out
of 10,” Meriss wrote in a
memo. “Given the 23 years
since the compensation
has been changed and
the increased demands on
the positions, an increase
in compensation...seems
reasonable.”
Once the salary
increases take effect, the
mayor of Decatur would
rank fifth among 11 DeKalb
County mayors. According
to a list of salaries compiled
by the Decatur city
manager, Tucker’s mayor
ranks first with an annual
salary of $20,000.
Former Decatur Mayor
Bill Floyd spoke in favor of
mayor, commissioners increase salary
Decatur City Commissioners and Mayor Patti Garrett voted to approve a pay increase to take effect January of 2018.
the increase.
“We ask a lot of our
elected officials and we
demand a lot of you
and it’s only fair that the
compensation in Decatur be
increased,” Floyd said. “The
last time we did this was in
1994. We raised [the annual
salary] 10 times from $50 a
month to $500 a month.”
Floyd said a low
salary for the mayor and
commissioner would
“penalize” them.
“Sometimes it’s hard
to vote on a pay increase
for yourself and the last
time we did this Elizabeth
Wilson was mayor getting
$50 a month. That was not
appropriate,” Floyd said. “I
encourage you to support [a
pay increase].”
Currently, four cities in
DeKalb County have city
council members who make
more than $10,000 annually
(Tucker, Brookhaven,
Dunwoody and Chamblee).
After the pay increase,
Decatur will become the fifth
at $12,000 annually for city
council members.