BY DONNA SWICEGOOD

In his next to last official meeting as mayor, Costi Kutteh cast votes to approve two highly contested agenda items during Monday’s Statesville City Council meeting.

Kutteh, who did not seek a sixth term in the November election, cast the deciding vote to allow the annexation of property for a proposed 385-home development off Hill Haven Road and to approve a resolution in support of a historical marker related to an 1883 lynching that occurred in Statesville.

Kutteh tipped the scales on the Hill Haven vote by siding with Council members Doris Allison, David Jones and Joe Hudson voting to approve the annexation. C.O. Johnson, Steve Johnson and Lisa Pearson voted against the annexation second reading of the ordinance to annex the property. Council members Amy Lawton and Kim Wasson were absent from the meeting.

In the vote concerning placement of a historical marker, Pearson, Allison, Jones and Kutteh voted to approve the resolution with C.O. Johnson, Steve Johnson and Hudson casting the no votes.

The mayor only votes on motions where there is a tie.

Historical Marker

The historical marker resolution led to heated discussions between some council members.

Frank Johnson, representing the Iredell County Remembrance Project, a subcommittee of the Statesville Branch of the NAACP, spoke about the efforts to commemorate the 1883 lynching with an emphasis on how the Statesville community came together to prevent future violence.

Johnson said the lynching was carried out in response to a shooting that occurred at a circus that had set up in Statesville. Alexander County resident Charles Campbell, who was Black, was accused of shooting a white man during a dispute. He was taken from the jail and hanged from a tree near Garner Bagnal Boulevard, Johnson said.

The next night Statesville leaders and members of the Black community came together to prevent further violence from occurring.

Johnson said the historical marker will include a description of the lynching and the way the community came together in the aftermath of the lynching. Johnson said the marker will be a testament to healing and harmony. “It’s something that’s supposed to bring heart and soul to our community,” he said.

Steve Johnson asked what wording will be used on the marker, and Frank Johnson said that will be up to the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative.

Johnson said his primary concern is that the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) will direct was is put on the marker.  Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of “Just Mercy,” EJI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. 

Steve Johnson said he was reluctant to vote for the marker without knowing the wording that will be put on it. Hudson, who also voted against the marker, echoed those concerns — as did Jones, who voted in support of the resolution.

Frank Johnson said the EJI will take local input into consideration when it designs the exhibit.

“I can’t imagine what you think we would put there that would be offensive to the City of Statesville, seriously,” Frank Johnson said. “What is it that you think might be offensive?”

Allison said the marker will recognize that a lynching happened.

“We’ve been through hell but we came out of it,” she said.

Meanwhile, Pearson said she was concerned about the manner in which the plans were presented to the Black community. She said she’d received phone calls from members of the Black community who were unaware of this plan for the marker.

Marlene Scott, also a member of the committee within the NAACP, said every effort was made to get the word out to everyone. The historic marker was discussed at the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet, which was held earlier this year, as well as through social media and other offerings.

Scott echoed Frank Johnson’s comments concerning the intention of the marker — to bring the community together and celebrate history.

As part of the effort to memorialize the marker, she said, a contest for students in grades 7-12 is planned. The contest will award cash prizes of $500 and $250. Students can submit entries in three categories — art, digital media and essay. The entry deadline is December 30 and information is available on the NAACP’s website.

Following the discussion, the resolution in support of the marker passed by a 4-3 vote to proceed with the marker, which will be placed in front of the Iredell County Government Center near the Confederate statue. The statue was at the center of controversy in recent years as attempts were launched to have it removed.

Frank Johnson said the placement of the marker will offer historical context.

Annexation approved for proposed Hill Have development

The Hill Haven development has been discussed at previous meetings. In October, council members voted to approve a request to rezone the property from county R-20 to city R-8, which allows more dense placement of homes.

A public hearing on the proposed development was held at the council’s first October meeting with several area residents voicing opposition to the annexation. Some of those residents reaffirmed their opposition at Monday’s meeting.

Steve Johnson, who earlier voted in favor of the annexation at the first reading, expressed concerns about the sewage treatment plant capacity for this and other developments that are in the works.

City Public Utilities Director William Vaughan told the council at the earlier meeting that sewer capacity was not an issue.

Steve Johnson made a motion to delay voting on this issue until the first meeting in January.

Steve Johnson, C.O. Johnson and Wasson will be leaving the council in December. Steve Johnson, C.O. Johnson, Hudson and Kutteh all decided not to run for another term. Wasson was defeated in her bid for the mayor’s seat.

Steve Johnson said the new council could address this if more information could be provided regarding the sewer capacity issue.

Kutteh, in casting the tie-breaking vote concerning delaying the issue, said that was not an issue. “We don’t have any capacity issues,” he said.

Council then voted to approve the annexation with Kutteh again casting the deciding vote.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business:

♦ Council approved bulk water and fire protection rates for large water users. Vaughan told council that water provided by Iredell Water Corp., the City of Salisbury and EnergyUnited will be affected by the new rates.

♦ Child Grief Day and National Hospice Month were recognized with a proclamation.

The current council is scheduled to meet once more before handing over the duties to the newly-elected mayor and council members. The December 1 meeting will open with the current group and then the new mayor and council members will be sworn in. Allison retained her seat so she will be sworn in for another term.

Trey Robertson, James Pressly, Tip Nicholson and Kristi Madison Pfeufer will join the council and Doug Hendrix will be sworn in as mayor.