Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The Jefferson County Commission dealt with two potentially contentious proposals last week – one to adopt a facemask mandate and the second to remove the Confederate monument from the courthouse grounds.
The meeting, which was held on Thursday, Aug. 6, and live-streamed via Zoom, drew more than 90 viewers, according to Commission Chairman J.T. Surles.
The commission didn’t take a vote on the facemask mandate. After a brief discussion of the issue and input from a couple of citizens, the board agreed by consensus to leave matters alone for the time being and trust to people to do the right thing on facemasks.
The discussion on the monument’s removal was more animated and involved a greater number of citizens. The discussion also elicited an impassioned and angry response from Commissioner Stephen Fulford that he afterwards somewhat walked back. The board ultimately voted 3-2 to leave the monument where it currently stands.
Voting in the majority were Surles and Commissioners Betsy Barfield and Stephen Walker. Voting in the minority were Fulford and Commissioner Eugene Hall. Full accounts of the two discussions will appear in the Jefferson County Journal on Friday, Aug. 14.