Geer: Re-seat the Marion Square Commission to restore public trust

Charleston is a city built in layers. Nearly every downtown block offers a reminder of how we got here – with a plaque on a brick wall, a marker in a churchyard, a monument at a corner where history turned.

That habit of remembrance is not something to be embarrassed about. It is part of our identity. It is also why, when we choose to add something to a shared civic space, we owe one another a public process that is visible, predictable, and fair.

That is what went missing when the Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway marker appeared in Marion Square with little to no public notice. I am not here to litigate the merits of Lee, and I understand that Charlestonians hold conflicting views about Confederate symbols. In my view, there’s no question that Lee was a traitor who aligned himself with and advanced a cause responsible for profound moral crimes.

My point is simpler. When the normal process is bypassed, people assume the fix was in, and the result is anger and distrust that could have been avoided. In a city this historically literate, process is substance.

Marion Square sits at the center of this debate because it functions as Charleston’s Central Park. The city pays to maintain it, repair it and operate it day to day. Yet the square is owned by the Board of Field Officers of the Fourth Brigade and managed under a memorandum of understanding that most residents have never seen. That mismatch, public responsibility without transparent oversight, is how we end up with surprises.

The good news is that Charleston already has a solution on the books. In 1882, after complaints about a neglected and dismal public space, the city created the Marion Square Commission to govern the park. The ordinance establishes a seven-member commission, three appointed by City Council, three appointed by the Board of Field Officers, with the president of The Citadel serving as chair. It is a balanced structure, designed for shared stewardship and public accountability, rather than private discretion. This commission was active for 116 years with the last recorded meeting taking place in 1998.

Since 1998, new members have not been seated, even though it remains in the city’s code of ordinances. Reseating it would not settle every argument, but it would restore a forum where decisions about permanent installations are handled in the open with notice, standards and a record the public can inspect. If the 1882 framework needs to be updated for modern realities, then update it. Bring in downtown preservation organizations as advisors. Clarify when permits and Board of Architectural Review oversight apply. Put the rules in writing and follow them consistently.

I come from a long line of Charlestonians, and I often think of my great-great-great grandfather, the Rev. Anthony Toomer Porter, who chose, after the war, to help improve this city rather than glorify it. He focused on building schools, orphanages and places of worship. Charleston does not need more monument fights. We need sunlight, a process worthy of our shared spaces and the humility to follow the rules we already have. Reseating the Marion Square Commission is the most practical step the City can take right now.

Andrew Waring Geer is a native Charlestonian and investment consultant who is concerned about honest history being told in his hometown.