La Plata, MD – A discussion among the Charles County Commissioners slated for Tuesday, Aug. 29 concerning the flying of the Confederate flag at the Charles County Fair turned into a non-issue when Commissioner President Peter Murphy [D] announced the matter had been resolved.
Murphy had called the special meeting to discuss the Sons of Confederate Veterans practice of flying the Rebel flag at the Charles County Fair. He said that while the county had no authority to impose its will upon the Charles County Fair Board, he wanted at least to discuss the matter with his fellow commissioners.
“We have received comments and inquiries from our citizens about the flag being flown at the fair,” Murphy noted. “I felt it was important to have an open discussion.
“What has occurred is that the fair board has met with the Sons of Confederate Veterans group,” he added. “I am very proud to say that by working together, they have resolved this issue. Together it has been agreed they will set up their display, however, there will not be any flag flown.
“I think that was a very important issue,” Murphy continued. “We were concerned about the well-being and safety of all our fair goers. We want everyone to come to the fair, go home and be safe. I am so proud of Charles County, the way we resolve our issues; that they were able to come together and resolve this issue.”
“I’m glad we placed this on our agenda and I am happy this issue has been resolved before our meeting,” Commissioner Ken Robinson [D-District 1] said.
“I attended the fair last year and there were several Confederate flags there at many of the vendor booths,” interjected Commissioner Debra Davis [D-District 3]. “I’m not sure this resolution resolves the issue.”
“From my understanding, they have all come to the agreement,” Murphy said. “I trust very much that the agreements they made are agreements they are going to keep.”
“From what I understand they would not be selling any Confederate paraphernalia and souvenirs,” Robinson said. “There won’t be anything promoting or highlighting the Confederacy.”
“I think another step would be to ban it among vendors,” Davis said. “I understand that they’ve taken these steps before and then it’s changed. Are we going to have to do this year after year?”
“It’s not our place to court trouble,” Murphy answered.
“I reached out to the fair board and expressed our concerns,” said Commissioner Amanda Stewart [D-District 2]. “One issue we need to address is, this is the county fair. This is a separate entity. The county does not control the fair board. We can write letters all day, but we can’t make them take a certain position. So, I appreciate the fair board coming together. Hopefully, we won’t have to come back and address it again next year.”
“We are making great strides,” Davis said, “but I disagree that the county doesn’t have a voice in this. We are involved with the fair. This county has a booth there and we are giving them county dollars that are used for security. That line is not as clear as we want to make it. Tax dollars are involved.”
“We do support the fair, but it is our job to set policies for ourselves,” Murphy stated. “If they set policies that we don’t approve of, we can address that. But we are very grateful that we are where we are today.”
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com