Stone Mountain mayor: black leads former Klan stronghold

Ebony, Oct, 1998 by Kelly Starling

AT first glance, it seems little has changed in the former Ku Klux Klan stronghold of Stone Mountain, Ga. Reminders of the past loom everywhere, from the brick-paved sidewalk and quaint stores of Main Street to the souvenir confederate flags in local gifts hops to the eerie sculpture of Southern Civil War icons that shadow its historic park. But the signs of change are there if you look: A Black man lounging with a White friend in a gazebo. A rainbow of children splashing together in a neighborhood pool. Then there's the most dramatic evidence of all: The striking figure of Chuck Burris presiding as the first Black mayor in this once-segregated town.

With his own special brand of chutzpah, Burris is carving a new face on the City of Stone Mountain. "Don't you think it would look better if it had me up there, too?" the 47-year-old mayor jokes, pointing to the stone images commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1916 to honor those who died for the South.

Only someone like Burris could see the outrageous humor in something that one was a symbol of so much pain. But that's characteristic of his style. His constituents say they respect him for concentrating oil the future more than the past. He's more concerned with building new sidewalks and facilities for youths than dwelling on historic wrongs,

In fact, one of Burris' first acts as mayor was to allocate funds to install sidewalks in a Black neighborhood called Shennantown, where children walked ill the road to school. "Those people had been asking for sidewalks as long as I had been on the council," he says. "So I told my public works director that would he the very first one, on Fourth Street. In six months, it was done."

The mayor has made improvements to local ball fields and parks, named a homestead exemption for seniors and cracked down on drugs. But perhaps just as importantly, he has changed the perception of a town once known as a bastion of hate. Decades ago, Klan members lit a cross and proclaimed their 20th century rebirth on the mountain's peak. The supremacist group held yearly Labor Day rallies there as recent as the early '80s, some residents say.

The former City of Stone Mountain councilman defeated six-year incumbent Pat Wheeler for the mayoral seat in a low-turnout election, winning nearly half of the votes in the racially mixed city of 6,700. With his win, Burris has become a worldwide icon of the possibilities for racial progress.

His wife, Marcia Baird Burris, estimates they've received about 1,000 congratulatory calls at home and another 1,000 at City Hall since Burris won the election. He's received letters from as far away as Switzerland and Brazil. Elementary school pupils from a private Jewish school in Florida even traveled to Stone Mountain to deliver their well-wishes ill person.

"I would have thought out of all those phone calls and letters, at least a percentage would be negative," he says. "But I've only received good wishes. I consider that a blessing." Additionally, Burris has become a darling of the press, appealing in national media such as the New York Times and the Wall Street journal and international publications in countries as diverse as Japan Great Britain and France. His wife, an 18-year public relations veteran, has taken on the role of his communications manager, fielding phone calls and arranging speaking engagements, interviews and appointments.

The mayor has become an ambassador for the city's changing image. Included among his plans to strengthen the economics of the area are restoring Main Street (construction on a sidewalk has already begun) and enhancing the city's cultural activities.

News of Stone Mountain's evolution has even traveled as far as the White House. Burris sat with other distinguished guests of the Clintons during the State of the Union address earlier this year. He's believed to be the first mayor of Stone Mountain ever so honored.

"This is a small town," Burris says. "I didn't think the mayorship would mean that much. I'm still astounded and overwhelmed."

Marcia believes people have responded to her husband's story because it gives hope in the face of rising racial tension. "His election came at a time when the Skinheads were doing stuff out West," she says. "There were assaults on affirmative action and other racist acts. With that as the backdrop, many people around the world were saying, `Wow, we just really needed some good news.'"

But Burris is no symbolic figurehead. He's there each day, putting in the work. The mayor arrives at City Hall around 8 a.m. to begin his $300-a-month "part-time" position. He leaves at 10 a.m. for his job that pays the bills as a computer consultant for his business, MountainWare Ltd. Then Burris returns around 6 p.m. to his mayoral duties at City Hall or community events and works late into the night.

The mayor's weekends belong to his family and constituents. He juggles his private time with the simple gestures that mean so much to the people he serves, such as speaking at churches or inaugurating Little League games. Burris says he never considered the long hours he'd have to devote for such a small salary as a factor in whether he'd run.