Georgia town votes to remove Confederate statue

Cordele City Commission votes to take down Confederate Footman

CORDELE, GA – The Confederate Footman statue which stood for years in front of the Community Clubhouse on the corner of 7th Street and 16th Ave will be no more, that is, if Cordele’s City Commission has its way.

“By the chairman and two commissioners, the Confederate statue will be removed from its current location and will be placed at a legal place according to the laws and statutes of the state of Georgia,” said Josh Deriso, Chairman, Cordele City Commission.

Before the commission voted on the motion Tuesday night, the city’s attorney chimed in.

“Just a point of interest, we are dealing with this in another community and the other lawyer is a former Grand Dragon and it attracts a lot of attention,” said Tommy Coleman, Cordele City Attorney.

The motion to bring down the statue would eventually pass by a vote of 3-1 . South Georgia Television News asked Commissioner Wes Rainey why he voted against the motion.

“I just think it needs to be looked into more. I think you need to go at it a little bit more diplomatically,” said Wes Rainey, Cordele City Commissioner.

City Attorney Tommy Coleman says the statue itself is privately owned, but sits on city property. South Georgia Television News has been unable to get reaction from the Daughters of Confederate Veterans on Tuesday night’s vote.

No word on when the statue will come down. South Georgia Television News will be sure to tell you when it does.