The Henderson City Council on Monday approved a motion that the flagpole which flies the Purple Heart flag at the entrance to the Henderson Police Department be dedicated in honor of former Council member Sara Coffey.
It was a unanimous 7-0 vote, accompanied by a standing ovation by Mayor Melissa Elliott, Council members and city staff at the Council’s regular monthly meeting. Council member Lamont Noel was not present.
Coffey, who stepped down in December after serving 17 years as a Council member, was in the audience. Following a presentation by Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow, she shared a few words with her former colleagues.
“I’d like to thank everybody for doing this,” Coffey said. “It means a lot to me. It meant a lot to get our flagpole up there… (and) meant a lot to me to serve our country in the military.”
Barrow said Coffey was instrumental in having the city get its Purple Heart City designation back in 2012. He said she used her own funds to erect a flagpole at the former municipal building on Young Street.
The current flagpole has been in place for a couple of years now; the Council’s action on Monday formally recognizes the dedication in honor of Coffey.
“It’s in honor and recognition for everything that she’s done and all the heart…that she’s put into the military veterans of the city,” Barrow said.
“She’s dedicated a lot of time to us.”
In her remarks, Coffey focused on honoring veterans. “I’m really glad that we got our Purple Heart initiative taken care of,” Coffey continued. “It’s been needed for a long time. We have a lot of good people here in Henderson that served in the military.”
The entrance to the police department where the flagpole is located also will be the spot where a veteran’s memorial will be installed, hopefully in July.
Coffey said she is proud to have played a role in having that monument become a reality.
She also said she was proud to have been a member of the City Council, something she said she could not have imagined when she moved to the area 28 years ago.
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