English mayor rejects colleague's hate of south
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Seal Ordeal: English Mayor Apologizes
The mayor of Winchester, England, is offering apologies to the people of the city's American sister.
The seal depicts the flags that have flown over the city: Britain's Union Jack, the Virginia flag, the U.S. flag, and the Confederate battle flag.
And she may move to toss a colleague from his political party after his comments last week stirred a debate over the Confederate battle flag in Winchester's city seal.
Mayor Elizabeth A. Minor and City Council President Charles T. Gaynor have accepted the written apology, offering closure to a dispute that began last week.
During a recent committee meeting in the English city, Councilor Ray Love said the flag celebrates slavery and that he hoped officials in the Virginia city would change the seal.
Winchester's seal depicts the four flags that have flown over the
city since its establish
ment in 1744: Britain's Union Jack, the U.S. flag, the Virginia state flag, and the Confederate battle flag.
Here in Winchester, we were absolutely appalled by the message of Councilor Love's sentiments, Mayor Cecily Sutton said in a Tuesday telephone interview from the English city, about 70 miles south of London.
Winchester, England, has twinning agreements with Laon, France, and Giessen, Germany, as well.
We trade with the town of Giessen in Germany. I find it as offensive to have the Stars and Bars [on Winchester's seal] as if they had a swastika on their coat of arms, Love said last week.
His comments, printed on Dec. 7 in The Winchester Star, stirred an outcry locally, generating dozens of letters, phone calls to the newspaper editor, and a written response from Love's mayor.
(For the results of a Star poll about the issue, see Page A7.)
" can only emphasize our good opinion of your citizens, and apologize on behalf of the
many here for the
unrepresentative remarks of one individual, Sutton wrote in a Dec. 10 letter to Minor. As this is the traditional season of goodwill, I hope that the people of Winchester, Virginia, will do us the honour of accepting this apology and allowing us to move forward together into a happy new year.
Love did not propose severing relations with Winchester, which hosts the mayor from its English twin city each year at the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. He also was part of a unanimous vote to maintain sister ties with the cities in the United States, Germany, and France, Sutton said.
Love's comments surprised colleagues on the 57-member British council.
We don't go along with what he was saying at all, Sutton said.
Sutton and Love are Liberal Democrats, the party that controls 26 seats on the council. and Love's comments may have political ramifications.
My party is considering disowning him, said Sutton, who called Love's behavior totally ina
ppr
opriate.
Attempts to reach Love for comment on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Sutton said she is looking forward to attending the 2005 Apple Blossom Festival, a tradition of Winchester, England, mayors since the 1980s. She said she has heard nothing but positive comments from past mayors about the hospitality in Virginia.
Minor said on Tuesday that she was happy to hear from the mayor. " think this has cleared everything up for us, she said.
The flags on the seal represent the city's history and remind people how far we have come, Minor said.
If Love had done his research, he would have realized that the seal is just a part of history, Gaynor said, adding that he has heard one request to change the seal in 10 years.
And since Love's opinion became public, citizens have overwhelmingly supported retaining the emblem.
Sutton equated the flags on Winchester's seal with the paintings of King Alfred in her city, as well as a recent celebration held there
in
remembrance of Mary Tudor, the queen commonly remembered as Bloody Mary.
"t's history, isn't it? Sutton said. We've moved on.
On the Internet . . .
www.winchester.gov.uk.
****************************
City of Winchester, VA
Seal Ordeal: English Mayor Apologizes
The mayor of Winchester, England, is offering apologies to the people of the city's American sister.
The seal depicts the flags that have flown over the city: Britain's Union Jack, the Virginia flag, the U.S. flag, and the Confederate battle flag.
And she may move to toss a colleague from his political party after his comments last week stirred a debate over the Confederate battle flag in Winchester's city seal.
Mayor Elizabeth A. Minor and City Council President Charles T. Gaynor have accepted the written apology, offering closure to a dispute that began last week.
During a recent committee meeting in the English city, Councilor Ray Love said the flag celebrates slavery and that he hoped officials in the Virginia city would change the seal.
Winchester's seal depicts the four flags that have flown over the
city since its establish
ment in 1744: Britain's Union Jack, the U.S. flag, the Virginia state flag, and the Confederate battle flag.
Here in Winchester, we were absolutely appalled by the message of Councilor Love's sentiments, Mayor Cecily Sutton said in a Tuesday telephone interview from the English city, about 70 miles south of London.
Winchester, England, has twinning agreements with Laon, France, and Giessen, Germany, as well.
We trade with the town of Giessen in Germany. I find it as offensive to have the Stars and Bars [on Winchester's seal] as if they had a swastika on their coat of arms, Love said last week.
His comments, printed on Dec. 7 in The Winchester Star, stirred an outcry locally, generating dozens of letters, phone calls to the newspaper editor, and a written response from Love's mayor.
(For the results of a Star poll about the issue, see Page A7.)
" can only emphasize our good opinion of your citizens, and apologize on behalf of the
many here for the
unrepresentative remarks of one individual, Sutton wrote in a Dec. 10 letter to Minor. As this is the traditional season of goodwill, I hope that the people of Winchester, Virginia, will do us the honour of accepting this apology and allowing us to move forward together into a happy new year.
Love did not propose severing relations with Winchester, which hosts the mayor from its English twin city each year at the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. He also was part of a unanimous vote to maintain sister ties with the cities in the United States, Germany, and France, Sutton said.
Love's comments surprised colleagues on the 57-member British council.
We don't go along with what he was saying at all, Sutton said.
Sutton and Love are Liberal Democrats, the party that controls 26 seats on the council. and Love's comments may have political ramifications.
My party is considering disowning him, said Sutton, who called Love's behavior totally ina
ppr
opriate.
Attempts to reach Love for comment on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Sutton said she is looking forward to attending the 2005 Apple Blossom Festival, a tradition of Winchester, England, mayors since the 1980s. She said she has heard nothing but positive comments from past mayors about the hospitality in Virginia.
Minor said on Tuesday that she was happy to hear from the mayor. " think this has cleared everything up for us, she said.
The flags on the seal represent the city's history and remind people how far we have come, Minor said.
If Love had done his research, he would have realized that the seal is just a part of history, Gaynor said, adding that he has heard one request to change the seal in 10 years.
And since Love's opinion became public, citizens have overwhelmingly supported retaining the emblem.
Sutton equated the flags on Winchester's seal with the paintings of King Alfred in her city, as well as a recent celebration held there
in
remembrance of Mary Tudor, the queen commonly remembered as Bloody Mary.
"t's history, isn't it? Sutton said. We've moved on.
On the Internet . . .
www.winchester.gov.uk.
****************************
City of Winchester, VA