War Monument Lawsuit Sparks Election Showdown in Brooks

A war monument dispute in the town of Brooks has evolved into an election-year flashpoint. Residents Lieze Harris and her husband David Harris say they temporarily moved their town’s World War I and II memorial stones from their family’s private property for safekeeping. They got sued by Brooks, so they are now both running for the town’s top offices, challenging the 16-year incumbent mayor, Dan Langford and another town council candidate, Sara Nelson. One major pledge by the Harris couple is to fire the Town Manager, Maurice Ungaro.

Stones, property and contested ownership

The memorial stones honoring local World War I and II veterans stood for years on land once owned by the Putman family. In a memo on the issue, Mayor Dan Langford wrote the monuments were erected in 1950 after a community-wide effort to honor Brooks’s war dead. “Square dances were held at the schoolhouse and donations were collected from citizens to erect the monument on the grounds of the old Putman Hotel,” Langford said. He noted that ownership remained with the Putman family, but residents and the Woman’s Club maintained the site for decades. “It simply was not a problem—a community monument on private ground,” Langford said.

According to Langford, problems arose after the Harrises acquired the property. “At least two Woman’s Club members … were challenged in unfriendly fashion by Mr. Harris when they were checking on the monuments, as they often did for years before the Harrises came.”

The Harris family acknowledges that they removed the stones. In a campaign flyer mailed to Brooks residents, they referred to the action as a “temporary removal” of the town’s memorial stones from their family’s private property, noting plans to later relocate them to a “prominent spot” or donate them back to the town.

History docent describes the confrontation

Local resident and lifelong Brooks native, Fran McElwaney, who is also a second cousin of Mayor Langford, told The Citizen that she became aware of the stones’ absence several years back when two veterans inquired at the historical society, where she was a docent. “I drove up there, parked right in front by the Christian Church and took some close-ups of the empty area where the memorial stones had been,” she said.

McElwaney said David Harris confronted her at the site. “He told me they were his and he could do anything he wanted with ’em. He said something about there being no memorial for Vietnam veterans and wanting to make one.” She added: “He was very angry … He was cussing and telling me that it was his business what he did with that.” McElwaney called the monument “very dear to me,” saying “it was always the town memorial. Different people in the community would clean it or put flowers on it.”

The campaign and policy positions

Lieze Harris is challenging the 16‑year incumbent Mayor Dan Langford. In the requested candidate Q&A provided to The Citizen, she wrote: “When I’m elected Mayor, the first thing I plan to do is clean house — and I mean clean it good. … That starts with getting a new town manager — one who works for the people, not one who treats this town like his own playground.” 

Her husband, David Harris, echoed that sentiment in his own Q&A response, writing: “Both [the Mayor] and the Town Manager … should be removed from office. The Mayor has failed in leadership, and the Town Manager has abused his authority.” 

Both candidates also vowed to “eliminate all municipal property taxes” and “cut unnecessary spending,” proposals that would significantly reduce the town’s revenue and could effectively defund some local services. 

According to Mayor Langford’s Q&A response, 16% of the Brooks budget is provided by property taxes.

Heated exchange at tax hearing

Tensions between the Harris family and town officials erupted publicly during an October 22, 2024, tax hearing in Brooks. The meeting, called to discuss the town’s millage rate, turned contentious when David Harris interrupted Mayor Dan Langford to question previous tax freezes. “Then why were the rates frozen for so long, then you unfroze it?” he asked. Langford replied that the rate had been adjusted in 2021 and 2022 to sustain the town’s budget.

The discussion shifted when Lieze Harris accused the council of using taxpayer money to fund the lawsuit involving her family. “I’m not talking about litigation,” she said. “I’m talking about what grounds you have to use taxpayer money to continue to sue someone who has done nothing wrong.” Langford responded that the topic involved active litigation and could not be discussed publicly.

As the argument intensified, Langford struck his gavel several times in an effort to regain control. “You are totally unreasonable. Let me finish what I am saying,” he told Harris, who replied, “I am extremely reasonable. I have been speaking to that man for four years!”—pointing toward Town Manager Maurice Ungaro. Langford then declared the meeting over, ending the hearing abruptly.

Afterward, the Harrises contacted the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department to report the incident. A deputy arrived at Town Hall within minutes and remained through the following 6:30 p.m. council meeting to ensure no further disturbance occurred. The rest of the evening concluded without incident.

Litigation continues
The town of Brooks filed suit on May 13, 2024, against David Harris, later naming his parents (the property owners) for allegedly removing and holding the property (the memorial stones) and denying public access, according to town officials. The lawsuit remains in Fayette County Superior Court. The town is looking to gain control of the memorial stones and to place them in a public area. Town officials declined further comment due to the pending litigation.

What to watch
With municipal elections approaching, Brooks residents face a choice: maintain the longstanding leadership of Dan Langford, or approve the Harris family’s bid to overhaul local governance.

Editor’s Note: The Harrises and the town attorney did not grant interviews. The Citizen would like to know why the stones were removed in the first place, how long they were missing, and why can’t they just be given to the Town of Brooks to end this debacle.