Davison Township, MI – What’s the best way to perk up your spirits after a disgraced exit as the mayor of Flint, Michigan? That would be erecting a bronze statue of yourself in your front lawn, surrounded by lions.
Former Flint mayor Don Williamson resigned his post in 2009 after facing a recall, and has celebrated his career by putting up the statue outside of the gated entrance to his mansion in Genesee County’s Davison Township. The Flint Journal reports that the statue is surrounded by six bronze lions.
A plaque at the base of the statue reads: “The Colonel’s Inc. Founded by Donald J. Williamson May 10, 1984. His motto ‘Success is the best revenge.’”
Williamson chose to resign after he was criticized for blowing through the city’s budget and allegations of cronyism emerged, reports The New York Daily News .
The former mayor’s neighbors have scoffed at the statue. “I said, ‘What’s he doing, building a moat?’” recalled one neighbor. “It’s a joke. Someone is going to do something to that statue,” opined another.
Williamson’s wife, Anne, thinks that the monument is hilarious. The former mayor said that his wife imported the six bronze lions from overseas, and joked, “Careful, one of them is alive.”
A couple of other statues have made the news recently, as well. Over the summer, Joe Paterno’s statue was removed from the Penn State University campus . In light of the trial over Jerry Sandusky’s sex scandal, University officials removed Paterno’s statue from its place in front of Beaver Stadium. Paterno allegedly helped cover up Sandusky’s illicit activities over a period of several years.
What do you think of the former Flint mayor’s statue to self? Ostentatious? Hilarious? Sound off below!
