Santa Fe City Council gave narrow approval to a resolution last night relating to the soldier’s monument but the governing body appears to remain some distance away from fully resolving the long-broiling controversy.
Councilors discussed the resolution and related amendments for about 90 minutes after about an hour of public comment on the obelisk and other matters.
Approval of the amended resolution means that the city manager will lead an examination of the feasibility of relocating the monument to Santa Fe National Cemetery.
There was a hint of fatigue and resignation at times in the voices of councilors and others as the strident debate about the obelisk has continued for more than four years.
At one point councilors and the city attorney took about 15 minutes as they struggled to collaboratively edit a passage of the resolution.
In the end, four members of the board opposed moving forward with the feasibility study. Councilor Jamie Cassutt said she voted “no” because of the resolution’s inherent “momentum” toward the cemetery move without other options on the table.
One of the reasons Councilor Michael Garcia opposed the resolution was because of what he said was a lack of clarity about who actually owns the monument—the city or the state.
He helped illustrate his position by reading aloud a portion of the minutes of a Santa Fe City Council meeting from 1973.
The monument has been a hot button issue since Indigenous Peoples Day in 2020, when it was toppled by protesters. It was later encased in a box it its Plaza location, where it remains.
Members of the Spanish fraternal organization Union Protectiva de Santa Fe have argued that the obelisk should be repaired and kept in the plaza.
Tribal leaders support the idea of moving it to the National Cemetery, and removing language on a plaque that referred to quote “battles with savage Indians.”
Santa Fe resident Terry Rivera spoke during the meeting with a proposal for changing the language on the four obelisk plaques, and making the piece about honoring soldiers who not only fought for the Union in the Civil War, but in other wars, too.
“The third plaque honors the Buffalo soldiers and all soldiers who endure racism and sexism and still defend this country," said Rivera.
"The fourth plaque honors the Navajo code talkers. They ensured the safety and success of the U.S. in World War II. This compromise distinctly honors the impact of the Navajo and Native American soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.”
Councilors and staff also took time during last night’s council meeting to thank John Blair for his work as city manager. He’s leaving his Santa Fe post after this Friday for a new position in Washington D.C.
