Georgia Politicians Upset After Decision to Lower Flag
Former Georgia Gov. Lester Maddox continued to be at the center of controversy even after his death Wednesday.
The current governor, Sonny Perdue, immediately ordered flags lowered on Georgia state buildings in Maddox’s memory -- a tribute that was missing Monday after the death of former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson Jr., a black man heralded for his commitment to civil rights.
This omission prompted some Georgia politicians, including Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, to request that Jackson belatedly be afforded similar treatment.
Perdue’s office noted that Maddox received the same honor as another former governor, Herman Talmadge, who died last year, and also said it found nothing in the law for the treatment of municipal officials on a state level.
However, the governor’s office took the unusual step of ordering the flag lowered for a day -- Saturday, the day of Jackson’s funeral -- on the state Capitol.
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