COLUMBUS – It is an era when statues and other symbols are weighted with social and political significance and have become subjects of sometimes spirited debate.
There are exceptions though, and one of those in Ohio is John Glenn.
Both Republicans and Democrats on a state panel heaped praise on the late astronaut and U.S. senator Thursday, as they voted unanimously to put a seven-foot, 600-pound bronze statue of him on display at the Ohio Statehouse for the next year.
The period beginning next month will include his 100th birthday this July, as well as the 60th anniversary of his famous flight as the first American to orbit Earth next February.
The vote was delayed about a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Another decision by the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, the panel tasked with overseeing the Statehouse and its grounds, was met with criticism.
The board voted to implement a new rule requiring any removal of a statue on the grounds first be subject to a five-year waiting period before a final vote can be taken.
The measure comes as a number of groups pushed for the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus on the West lawn.
Rep. Erica C. Crawley (D-Columbus), a board member, voted against the rule, saying that it puts up roadblocks to discussions about race, social justice and the symbols displayed at the capitol building.
“Erecting barriers and throwing up roadblocks in order to dodge difficult conversations sends the wrong message from those responsible for maintaining the People’s House,” Crawley said in a statement issued following the vote. “Surely, we don’t need a study to determine whether a statue should or shouldn’t be on our grounds. And it shouldn’t take five years to do it. We should have these conversations now.”
The explorer has been widely criticized for his treatment of native inhabitants when he started Spain’s colonization of the Caribbean.
A statue of Columbus was removed from in front of City Hall last year.