DAVISON TOWNSHIP, MI – Former Flint Mayor Don Williamson has a giant bronze statue of himself surrounded by six bronze lion statues outside the gated entrance to his home.

Neighbors say the lions were put up first, followed by the statue of Williamson within the last month.

Etched on the back of the base of the statue is: "The Colonel's Inc. Founded by Donald J. Williamson May 10, 1984. His motto 'Success is the best revenge.'"

No one answered the phone at the security gate, which is adorned with a giant "W," Wednesday, Oct. 31, when The Flint Journal attempted to gather more information about the statue.

Williamson said the statue originally stood in The Colonel's Inc., a company that manufactures bumpers and truck bedliners.

The building where Williamson made his fortune in Owosso burned down in 1993 in a suspected arson with damages estimated at $32 million, according to The Flint Journal archives.

"That statue was done 20 years ago in Del Rey Beach, Calif.," Williamson said.

The six lions were imported by Williamson's wife, Patsy Lou, he said.

"Careful, one of them is alive," he joked.

A couple who lives nearby said they saw the statues put up and other work on Williamson's property.

"I think it's funny," said Amy Duncan. "It's ridiculous."

After the statues were put up her husband Ryan Duncan said they wondered what other work Williamson would do at the property.

"I said, 'What's he doing, building a moat?'" Ryan Duncan joked. "It's a joke. Someone is going to do something to that statue."

Williamson resigned as mayor in 2009 just before he was about to be recalled.

Less than two years after the recall, Williamson and his wife moved out of their longtime home in Flint on Parkside Drive.

The couple moved to a home they built on Sugarbush Golf Course, which also is owned by Williamson, according to The Flint Journal's archives.

Williamson said they're in the process of landscaping the property while putting the final touches on a garage.

Dominic Adams is a police reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.