9-11 Memorial Controversy Put to Rest

State Capitol, Phoenix Rep. John Kavanagh plans to end the contentious battle over Arizona's Sept. 11 memorial, proposing the state remove the controversial statements and replace them with a timeline of the day's events. Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, vowed to make the memorial something all Arizonans can be proud of and gather at to honor the 3,000 who died in the terrorist attacks. "The ongoing controversy surrounding Arizona's 9-11 memorial is disrespectful to the victims and embarrassing to the state and needs to end. Sept. 11 belongs to everyone," Kavanagh said. "This will be the easiest way to put an extremely controversial issue to rest." Nearly every member of the Legislature is a co-sponsor of the bill that would remove the inscriptions of the circular memorial and replace them with a timeline. It is heartening and rare to see so much bipartisan support on any issue, especially a controversial one, Kavanagh said. When signed into law, the bill will have seven plates on the memorial containing the controversial phrases removed. They would be replaced by a non-controversial timeline. It also allows the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate to begin fundraising for its replacement.