CORDELE, Ga. (AP) — A south Georgia city is moving ahead with plans to remove a Confederate monument from one of its parks.

The newly elected Cordele City Commission voted last month to remove the tall monument, news outlets reported. The decision came after about 8,000 residents signed a petition seeking the removal of the statue.

Cordele voters in November elected four Black commissioners — including Chairman Joshua Deriso — to the five-member commission.

“A lot of people in Crisp County are not necessarily ready for change,” Deriso told Georgia Public Broadcasting. “My election represented change.”

The lone white member, Wesley Rainey, voted against moving the statue. He cited the risk of a lawsuit if it’s moved, partly because of a Georgia law protecting Confederate monuments.

“People could come after us from several different directions on this removal,” Rainey said. “I tried to explain the complexity of the issue but it didn’t go nowhere.”

It’s not yet known when the statue would be moved or where its new home would be, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported.