Madison’s Common Council debate concerning the Confederate monument in Forest Hills Cemetery will continue following an alder’s appeal to have its removal brought before the council once again.
The Common Council voted unanimously in April to have the monument removed. However, the removal requires approval by the city's Landmarks Commission because of the monument's status as a registered landmark. The commission rejected the council’s decision in a 3-1 vote on Aug. 27.
Ald. Allen Arntsen — who represents District 13, which includes Forest Hills Cemetery — has appealed the commission’s rejection. Arntsen said he expects the Common Council to vote on the appeal at the Sep. 25 meeting. The commission would need 11 votes to approve the removal.
The Confederate monument, funded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, has stood in Forest Hills Cemetery since 1906. It lists the names of 140 Confederate soldiers who died while prisoners of war in Camp Randall. In 1981, an additional plaque was erected next to the monument.
Following the Charlottesville rally in August 2017, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin ordered the plaque to be removed and urged the Common Council to consider removing the larger monument.
The council voted in April to remove both monuments and rejected a proposal to erect an interpretive sign explaining the reason for the monuments.
