Ten Commandments Debate Downstate

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 11, 2010 9:30PM

While there haven't been such issues in this neck of the woods, there's an ongoing battle in downstate Marion about having a statue of the Ten Commandments erected in the downtown square. Resident Ken Kessler pitched the idea to the City Council after seeing a similar monument in Indiana and got the support of the town's mayor, Bob Butler. Said Kessler, "I'm not a crusader, I'm just somebody trying to do something for our community. If we aren't reminded of these things that we have, we will see them gradually slipping away."

The city's attorney, Steve Green, advised the council that such a move would probably be unwise and the council agreed, shelving the issue for now but promising to revisit it, and alternatives, in the near future. But Mayor Butler seems so determined to get the statue up and protected from legal challenges that he's considering several approaches, including selling the parcel of land where the statue would be: "That way it becomes private property and I don't believe there's anything that would prohibit the monument from being placed on that spot," said Butler.