Cobb Contributor Op-Ed
Cobb County Commissioners Reject Funding for Veterans Memorial Despite Available Surplus
It should have been the easiest vote a county commission could make, funding a long-promised memorial to honor the more than 60,000 veterans who call Cobb County home. Instead, in a stunning and shameful act of dirty political gamesmanship, Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, along with Commissioners Keli Gambrill, Erick Allen, and Monique Sheffield, voted against allocating the final piece of funding for the Cobb Veterans Memorial.
Think about that. The very commissioners entrusted to represent the community, who’ve had no problem egregiously wasting tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on unconstitutional “home rule” voting maps, failing transit systems, partisan pet projects, ridiculous studies, overpriced consultants, and not to mention “equity initiatives”, couldn’t bring themselves to finish what they promised to veterans years ago. The hypocrisy of this board is beyond shocking and a disgrace to all Cobb’s residents.
The result? The memorial, approved in 2019 and already years behind schedule, is stalled once again.
The Memorial: Years of Promises, Broken by Politics
Related: Cobb Veterans Outraged as Commissioner Plans to Block Memorial Funding
This memorial was not some last-minute idea. Back in 2019, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved the design for a 3.24-acre site, a carefully planned project meant to give veterans and their families a dignified place of remembrance. At the time, county leaders assured the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation (CVMF) that the county would cover costs, while the foundation raised private donations to supplement the effort.
The Foundation did its job. In fact, it exceeded expectations, raising more than $30,000 a month for nearly four years, well above the $25,000 monthly goal set in its memorandum of understanding with the county. Despite this, Commissioners Cupid, Allen, Gambrill, and Sheffield tried to shift blame back onto the veterans themselves, peddling misinformation that the Foundation hadn’t held up its end. That’s simply not true.
Meanwhile, construction costs ballooned because of inflation, COVID supply-chain issues, and labor shortages. What was a $2.5 to $3 million project in 2017 has grown to nearly $8 million today. Yet the same commissioners who have approved costly projects in other areas of the county suddenly turned stingy when it came to honoring veterans.
The Funding Was There, Until Commissioners Said No
Major General (Retired) Bob PfIster Pleads with Commissioners for Memorial Funding
The numbers don’t lie. Between SPLOST dollars, discretionary funds, and more than $1.1 million raised by the CVMF, there was already $4 million committed. Commissioner JoAnn Birrell proposed allocating $1 million from her own district’s park funds and another $1 million from the county’s Revenue Above Projection (RAP) fund, a surplus of more than $175 million. Birrell also pointed out that funding for the memorial project was specifically outlined within the 2022 SPLOST, which was voted on and approved by the citizens of Cobb.
That was the compromise. That was the chance to move the project forward. But Commissioner Erick Allen refused to accept the transfer, even though the memorial site sits in his district. Chairwoman Cupid, who had previously indicated support, backed away once Allen dug in. Gambrill and Sheffield fell in line, no surprise there.
In the end, only Birrell voted in favor of funding the memorial. Four commissioners stood against it. Four commissioners turned their backs on Cobb’s veterans.
Cobb Taxpayers Have Every Right to Be Outraged
Consider this: $175 million in extra county revenue is sitting in the bank. And yet, these commissioners decided not a single dollar of it should go toward the one project designed to honor the men and women who wore the uniform of this country.
Why in heck is there a $175 million dollar budget surplus in the first place? Shouldn’t that money be returned to the residents of Cobb if it’s in excess of the budget? If the commission isn’t going to spend these funds on meaningful projects then they can cut a $222 check to all of Cobb’s 787,538 residents.
Instead, taxpayers are left with more delays, higher costs, broken promises and failed leadership.
One veteran described the situation plainly: “We were promised this memorial years ago. We raised the money we were asked to raise. And still, the county finds excuses to stall. It’s disgraceful.”
Veterans Deserve Better, And Cobb Knows It
The bottom line is simple: this is not about budgets. This is about priorities. The Cobb Veterans Memorial should have been at the top of the list. Instead, it’s been shoved to the back by commissioners more interested in currying favor with political allies than in honoring the men and women who sacrificed for this country.
For Cobb’s veterans, this fight isn’t about politics. It’s about respect. The county commission’s refusal to move forward is not just a delay in construction, it’s a deliberate insult to every veteran who lives here.
The question now falls to the community: will Cobb taxpayers continue to allow politicians like Lisa Cupid, Keli Gambrill, Erick Allen, and Monique Sheffield to stall and obstruct, while veterans wait?
Or will the people of Cobb demand that their leaders finally deliver on a promise that should have been fulfilled long ago?
Time will tell, but those commissioners may regret their decision to turn their back on Cobb’s veterans, as it’s clear they’ve awaken the sleeping dragon…
This is an evolving story check back with Cobb Voice for updates.
Watch Cobb’s Commissioners in action for yourself.
