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Home My WebLink AboutFormally Requesting Assistance to use the US Vice-Presidential Seal on a New Gravesite Monumnet to Properly Honor Schuyler ColfaxAttest; RESOLUTION 4277 -13 Passed by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana September 9, 13 20 Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana September 10, 20 13 City Clerk President of Common Council Approved and signed by me 5 f PT fM 8 £ A 11 20 i3 City Clerk 4,�pVI'ff��1 Q � r, RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, FORMALLY REQUESTING ASSISTANCE TO USE THE U.S. VICE - PRESIDENTIAL SEAL ON A NEW GRAVESITE MONUMENT TO PROPERLY HONOR AND COMMEMORATE THE DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY AND TO CIVIL RIGHTS BY SCHUYLER COLFAX, 17TH VICE - PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES GX" the South Bend Common Council recognizes that on January 14, 2013, the City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 4226 -13 honoring the first Speaker of the House to ever be elected Vice - President of the United States, Schuyler Colfax, and declared his birth date March 23rd as Schuyler Colfax Day as an annual event to be celebrated by "...fostering greater attention and reflection upon some of the many Constitutional reforms which Schuyler Colfax dedicated his life to for so many years" in South Bend, Indiana; and G)a the Common Council further recognizes that on Saturday, March 23, 2013, at the first Schuyler Colfax Day Celebration which commemorated the countless contributions made by Schuyler Colfax in championing the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments; the deteriorating condition of Schuyler Colfax's final resting place in the City of South Bend's oldest cemetery, City Cemetery, was witnessed first -hand and it became known that there are no funds for its perpetual care; and G," on June 24, 2013, the South Bend City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 4263 -13 which called for among other things, the establishment of an Action Plan for South Bend's Historic City Cemetery and called for the restoration, enhancement and preservation of Vice - President Colfax's final resting place so that visible and sustainable improvements would be made by the 2nd Schuyler Colfax Day to be held in 2014; and G},1,,4, it is our understanding that pursuant to Presidential Executive Order 11649 and Title 18 of the United States Code § 713, permission to use the official seal of the Vice - President of the United States on a Vice- President's gravesite monument must be granted by the federal government; and CA" on July 16, 2013, Carol S. Nichols, an officer and member of the Schuyler Colfax Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of South Bend, Indiana, sent a letter to President Barack Obama, Vice - President Joseph Biden and White House General Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler officially requesting permission to have the Vice - President of the United States official seal placed on a new gravesite headstone which would more properly honor and commemorate the public service to our nation by the 17th Vice President of the United States Schuyler Colfax; and GW)" the South Bend Common Council notes that the federal government granted a similar request which resulted in a granite headstone with the Vice - Presidential Seal engraved thereon which was publicly dedicated on July 17, 2002, to honor U.S. Vice - President Charles Curtis, with his final resting place being located in Topeka Cemetery in Topeka, Kansas, which is depicted below: U ii 0 i. pia i i • I lows: / Section I. The South Bend Common Council respectfully requests permission and assistance from the United States Government to properly and publicly honor and commemorate the enduring legacy of public service to our nation by Schuyler Colfax, 17th Vice - President of the United States, by assisting the City of South Bend, Indiana, in erecting a new gravesite monument at his final resting place in City Cemetery which would proudly depict the Vice - Presidential Seal. Section II. The Common Council hereby respectfully requests any and all assistance from the federal public officials elected to represent our City residents and requests the Office of the City Clerk to send this Resolution, upon its adoption by the South Bend Common Council and approval by Mayor Pete Buttigieg, to: President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500 General White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500 U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly SR -B33 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Vice - President Joseph Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NS Washington, D.C. 20500 U.S. Senator Dan Coats 493 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20500 U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski 419 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 and further respectfully requests that updates be sent to Council Vice - President Oliver J. Davis who chairs the City Council's Community Relations Committee which is overseeing the project at odavis(cr,southbendin. gov Section III. This Resolution shall be in full forgeand ct from an aftef its adoption by the approval by the Mayor. Valerie Schey, D . F d Ferl' 4 jPistric Dr. David A. Varner, 5 "' District - 19-*eA. J'k� John Voorde, City Clerk Vice - President D. Dieter, At- .a71e; Council President f oe Ga 1c, At Large ,ez_ •Gtn Kare L. White, At Large; Chair, Committee of Whole Kathleen Cekanski- Farrand, Council Attorney s gmima l I dad yVqWMAM Q01(3 Pete Buttigieg, yor pirouth Bend, Indiana TO THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND: Your Committee of the Whole, to whom was referred: BILL NO. 13 -58 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, FORMALLY REQUESTING ASSISTANCE TO USE THE U.S. VICE - PRESIDENTIAL SEAL ON A NEW GRAVESITE MONUMENT TO PROPERLY HONOR AND COMMEMORATE THE DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY AND TO CIVIL RIGHTS BY SCHUYLER COLFAX, 17TH VICE - PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Respectfully report that they have examined the matter and that in their opinion, this bill is being recommended to the full Council with a favorable recommendation. This bill was heard by the Community Relations Committee. Karen L. White Chairperson, Committee of the Whole Derek D. Dieter City of South Bend Common Council 441 County -City Building . 227 W. Jefferson Blvd (574) 235 -9321 South Bend, Indiana 46601 -1830 Fax (574) 235 -9173 http://www.se,uthbendin.gov President September 3, 2013 Oliver J. Davis The South Bend Common Council Vice - President 4th Floor County -City Building Karen L. White South Bend, Indiana 46601 Chairperson, Committee of the Whole Re: Resolution Requesting Assistance of the Federal Government to Properly Honor the 17th Vice - President of the United States Schuyler Colfax Tim Scott First District Dear Council Members: Henry Davis, Jr. I seek your unanimous support of the attached proposed Resolution. Second District Valerie Schey In Resolution No. 4263 -13 which the Council adopted on June 24, 2013, it was noted that Third District a cemetery restoration project took place in Topeka, Kansas "to renovate and re- dedicate the gravesites of Charles Curtis, who served as a U.S. Vice - President from 1929 -1933, Fred Ferlic and his wife„ Anna Baird Curtis, who are buried in Topeka Cemetery..." That project Fourth District addressed gravesites which "looked terrible and embarrassing" by upgrading the David Varner gravesites to "include engraving the Vice - Presidential Seal onto into the granite Fifth District headstone" to properly honor the public service of this Vice - President. Oliver J. Davis The proposed Resolution depicts the front of the new granite headstone which was Sixth District publicly dedicated on July 17, 2002. The photo below depicts the other side of the new Derek D. Dieter headstone, as well as some of the other very meaningful improvements which were part At Large of Topeka Cemetery's restoration project: Gavin Ferlic At Large Karen L. White At Large I am attaching a copy of the July 16, 2013 letter which Carol S. Nichols, an officer and member of the Schuyler Colfax Chapter of the Daughters of American Revolution which she sent to federal officials seeking assistance for the needed upgrades to properly honor Schuyler Colfax and his final resting place in our historic City Cemetery. As of this date there has not been a response. As momentum continues to build to our project, and more volunteers are signing up to be a part of the City Cemetery Restoration Project, we are hopeful that with the adoption of the attached Resolution and having it sent to our elected federal public officials, including President Obama, Vice - President Biden, White House General Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler; as well as to Senator Coates, Senator Donnelly and Represenative Walorski - that we may be able to put this project into high gear. I request that this Resolution be sent to the Community Relations Committee which is overseeing the City Cemetery Restoration Project so that the Committee may hold a public hearing on it next Monday before the 7 p.m. City Council meeting. I seek your continuing support by adopting this 3rd Resolution which is related to the City Cemetery Restoration Project by voting unanimously next Monday. Thank vou. ;il' Viceent Committee Attachment cc: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Phil St. Clair, Park Superintendent Volunteers Working on the City Cemetery Restoration Project 2013 -2017