City councilors to withdraw plan to rebuild Plaza obelisk

Mar. 14—Four Santa Fe city councilors who introduced a resolution to rebuild the obelisk, or Soldiers' Monument, on the Plaza and create an Office of Equity and Inclusion announced they will withdraw the proposal at the start of a special meeting Wednesday.

"We will withdraw the CHART resolution directing next steps for the Soldier's Monument/Obelisk at the Special Governing Body Meeting on Wednesday," Councilors Carol Romero-Wirth, Renee Villarreal, Chris Rivera and Amanda Chavez said in a joint statement Tuesday.

"We will propose, at a subsequent meeting, a redrafted resolution to create and provide direction for an Office of Equity and Inclusion. We believe that funding for an Office of Equity and Inclusion should be part of the Mayor's FY24 Budget," the statement said.

The proposed resolution, which directed city staff to "hire conservators, designers, and/or historians to determine specific proposals to mend, redesign, and/or reframe the Obelisk," was introduced by the councilors during a news conference in early February.

Many members of the public spoke against the measure during recent City Council meetings, and the co-directors of the 11-month-long CHART community engagement process argued the resolution did not follow their report's recommendations.