KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Campbell County Mayor E.L. Morton has vetoed a measure to bring controversial statues to a museum in Campbell County after public outcry.
"Some statues do not represent our county. Bringing other communities' controversies here is a disservice to our welcoming and hospitable Campbell County people," Morton said.
Morton said it's important for County Commissioners to hear where the people of his county stand on the issue and retract their measure at the next County Commission meeting.
"Of course I will exercise the veto to prevent something bad from happening in my county," he said.
Campbell County Commissioner Ralph Davis introduced a measure in the December County Commission meeting to collect Presidential statues and busts in Campbell County for a museum. Davis then changed the proposal to any statues and busts taken down around the country.
The Campbell County Commission voted to approve the measure. 11 Commissioners voted yes, one voted no, two abstained.
County Commissioner Robert Higginbotham said the measure contained "no information" about bringing controversial statutes to Campbell County. Commissioner Higginbotham said he thought he was voting just on Presidential statues and busts.
Some community members incorrectly believed the measure would bring a statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest to the county. However, Forrest's statue was not mentioned in the Campbell County Commission's December meeting.
Morton does not have a vote in the Campbell County Commission meeting. He offered Commissioners an alternative to their proposal, by asking them to communicate with Congressman Tim Burchett about his proposal to bring these discarded statues to Crown College in Powell.
"There are some figures that aren't beneficial with Campbell County," said Morton. "Any statue should be considered on a case by case basis, for sure."
"We don't want statues that would put a negative mark on Campbell County," Morton said.
The mayor said it's risky to bring pieces from outside of the community into Campbell County, especially since the county voted to side with the Union Army during the Civil War.
"Campbell County is a welcoming place," said Morton.
Morton said the people of Campbell County should "stand up" and hold the County Commissioners to account for their actions.
He said it's not representative of the county, and he knows from personal experience.
"My mother grew up in Honolulu," Morton said. "She's Hawaiian, but she's a part of this community and people love her."