City, county vote to remove 120-year-old obelisk in heart of downtown Asheville, but cost could snag plan

From Staff Reports 

Asheville City Council voted  6-1 on Dec. 8 to accept the recommendation from the Vance Monument Task Force to remove the 75-foot granite obelisk, a landmark long  located in the heart of downtown Asheville.

The vote was “a key step in the removal of a prominent marker to Confederate Gov. Zebulon Vance....” the Asheville Citizen Times stated in a story appearing immediately afterward.

“While the vote was a key moment in a long-running debate about race, equity and symbolism, demolition of the 123-year-old downtown monument is still not certain,” the newspaper noted. “Council members are expected to vote again after getting reports on cost and what could go in the marker’s place.”.

Making the motion to remove the monument was Councilwoman Antanette Mosley, an African-American, who stated, according to the ACT, “As the descendent of those enslaved in this area — and they were likely auctioned off at that very spot — it is with great pride that I move that we accept the task force.”

Casting the dissenting vote was one of the other two black council members, Sandra Kilgore, who has said the monument could be repurposed to help bring people together, suggesting a “Unity Tower that is in Freedom Plaza — and it’s for everyone and it’s inclusive.”

“This is not the final say on the future of the Vance Monument,” said Mayor Esther Manheimer, adding that the council was moving through something akin to a “due diligence” period, the ACT noted.

“The vote Tuesday night also directed the city and county managers to work together on a plan to move forward with removal. But Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said there’s more work to be done and more public input to come,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) noted afterward.

Meanwhile, BPR.org reported that, “even with the acceptance of the task force’s plan, plenty of questions remain about the Vance Monument’s future, seemingly meaning it will be a matter of months not weeks before its final fate is revealed. “

Further, BPR.org noted, “Council member Gwen Wisler had concerns about the cost of the removal, while council member Sage Turner wondered what will happen to the monument itself once it is taken away — whether it would be relocated or destroyed. 

“A 2015 state law mandates any monument displayed on public property can only be removed unless it is relocated to a place of ‘similar prominence,’” BPR.org stated, adding, “Mayor Esther Manheimer said during Tuesday’s meeting Asheville city manager Debra Campbell will work with her Buncombe County counterpart in coming up with the logistics for what will happen to the monument once it is removed, and that city council will take up the matter again ‘in the coming months.’”

The ACT noted that, “Just one day earlier in a Dec. 7 vote, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners also voted to accept the task force’s recommendations, noting that the final say lies with the council since the monument is on city property. But commissioners committed to helping the city with removal and replacement.

“Task force members, who gave similar presentations to city and county leaders, said money might be available from a national arts and humanities organization and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority....” the ACT reported.