CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The city of Charlottesville has finished counting votes for the new names of two local parks featuring statues of famous Confederate soldiers according to NBC29.
Of the city's population of more than 45,000 people, only 7,535 residents participated in the survey. Although the city said it would not consider Lee or Jackson as name options, almost 2,000 respondents wrote in votes for Lee.Â
"[The] City Council has decided that they're not considering that, and one of the reasons is they want to tell a more complete story about Charlottesville's history and its relationship to race and white supremacy," says Brian Wheeler, Charlottesville's director of communications.
One park containing the Stonewall Jackson statue had a clear name winner: Court Square Park. There is still some confusion when it comes to the second park with the statue of Robert E. Lee, currently named Emancipation Park.
The city used two different methods to calculate the results. A tally of votes names the winner for Emancipation Park's new name as Market Street Park. A weighted calculation based on voters' first, second and third choices put Vinegar Hill Park in first.
The results will be presented to the City Council at its meeting on Monday, April 16, during which councilors will vote on next steps.