Ocala mayor issues Confederate Memorial Day proclamation

The mayor of Ocala is coming under fire days after issuing a controversial proclamation.

On Tuesday, Mayor Kent Gwinn declared April 26, to be Confederate Memorial Day in Ocala.  Gwinn issued his proclamation after the Marion County Commission issued a similar proclamation on March 19.

Gwinn issued similar proclamations in 2012, 2013 and 2014.  Former Ocala mayor Gerald Ergle issued his own Confederate Memorial Day proclamation in 2005.

Gwinn’s proclamation drew strong criticism from the president of the Orlando City Council.  Mary Sue Rich then leveled a fairly serious allegation against the mayor at the end of Tuesday night’s meeting.

“When people say you (are) a member of the Ku Klux Klan, I’m beginning to believe them,” she said.  “I don’t think you deserve to be the mayor of Ocala.  I hope somebody runs against you, because you keep coming up with more and more negative stuff.”

Gwinn denied the rumors during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

“For anybody to say that I’m a racist or a member of the KKK -- that’s the most ridiculous thing that I’ve heard,” he said.  “I am not -- repeat not -- in the KKK.  I hever have been.  I never will be.  And I despise and hate everything that organization stands for.”

Text of Gwinn’s Confederate Memorial Day Proclamation

Whereas the year 2011 marked the sesquicentennial of the civil conflict that tore the nation in two.

Whereas the month of April is the time which the Confederate States of America initiated and ended its four-year struggle for a sovereign and independent nation.

Whereas in proportion to its population the State of Florida lent more soldiers, sailors and livestock to the Confederate cause than any other state.

Whereas April 26 has been designated by the laws of Florida as a legal holiday, Confederate Memorial Day, a time which to honor the memories of those who sacrificed their lives in the War Between the States.

Whereas we recall the tragic events that took place between the years of 1861 and 1865. We do so in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the conflicting ideals and passions that pitted brother against brother and tore a nation apart.

Now, therefore, I, Kent Guinn, with the authority vested in me as the mayor of the City of Ocala, Florida do hereby proclaim April 26, 2019, to be known as Confederate Memorial Day.