IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
AN ORDINANCE submitting to the qualified voters of Jackson County, at the general election to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, a question authorizing Jackson County to remove the statues of Andrew Jackson at the Jackson County Courthouse located in Kansas City and the Historic Truman Courthouse located in Independence.
Intro
ORDINANCE NO. 5374, July 13, 2020
INTRODUCED BY Theresa Cass Galvin, Dan Tarwater III, Scott Burnett, Tony Miller, Charlie Franklin, and Jeanie Lauer, County Legislators
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WHEREAS, on December 16, 1826, Jackson County, Missouri was organized and named after Andrew Jackson, who would later become the seventh president of the United States; and,
WHEREAS, while serving as presiding judge of Jackson County, President Harry S Truman was instrumental in the approval by the voters of Jackson County of a bond issue for the construction of the Downtown Kansas City Courthouse; and,
WHEREAS, using bond funds, then Judge Harry S Truman commissioned the equestrian statue of President Andrew Jackson from sculptor Charles Keck, which was unveiled in front of the newly constructed courthouse on December 27, 1934; and,
WHEREAS, Charles Keck created a smaller, identical equestrian statue that he gifted to President Truman; and,
WHEREAS, on December 26, 1949, President Truman in turn, gifted that statue to the people of Jackson County, to be displayed at the Historic Truman Courthouse located in Independence, Missouri; and,
WHEREAS, by Resolution 20337, dated December 16, 2019, the County Legislature approved language to be included on plaques to be affixed to the statues of Andrew Jackson located in Kansas City and Independence, to acknowledge aspects of the history of Andrew Jackson’s life which includes evidence of his support of the institution of slavery and the Indian Removal Act; now therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, as follows:
Section 1. Subject to the approval of the voters of Jackson County, at the general election to be held on November 3, 2020, the statues of Andrew Jackson located outside the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City and the Historic Truman Courthouse in Independence, shall be removed.
Section 2. The qualified voters at said election shall vote by ballot and the ballots to be used at said election shall contain the following language:
JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
QUESTION #_2_
GENERAL ELECTION
NOVEMBER 3, 2020
OFFICIAL BALLOT
Shall Jackson County, Missouri, remove the statues of Andrew Jackson now located outside the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City and the Historic Truman Courthouse in Independence?
YES £
NO £
If you are in favor of the question, completely darken the oval beside the word “Yes.” If you are opposed to the question, completely darken the oval beside the word “No.”
Section 3. This Ordinance shall become effective upon approval of the question submitted by the voters of Jackson County at the general election on November 3, 2020.
Section 4. The Clerk of the Legislature is hereby authorized and directed to notify the Jackson County and Kansas City Boards of Election Commissioners of the adoption of this Ordinance no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 25, 2020, and to include in said notification all of the terms and provisions required by section 115.125, RSMo.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This ordinance shall be effective immediately upon its signature by the County Executive.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________ ________________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
I hereby certify that the attached ordinance, Ordinance No. 5374 introduced on July 13, 2020, was duly passed on July 13, 2020 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _______7________ Nays ______2________
Abstaining _____0______ Absent ____0_________
This Ordinance is hereby transmitted to the County Executive for his signature.
____________________ ________________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature
I hereby approve the attached Ordinance No. 5374.
____________________ ________________________________
Date Frank White, Jr., County Executive