Darien Selectmen Examine Town Flag Policy Once Again

DARIEN, CT — On Monday, the Darien Board of Selectmen considered a revised flag policy that would have allowed for the raising of more than just the United States, Connecticut and town flags at government buildings like town hall, but similar to previous meetings, members were split and no changes were made.

On one side, Selectmen Michael Burke and Sarah Neumann wanted to broaden the policy and allow groups and individuals to raise their flags, if approved by the board.

On the other side, First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky and Selectmen Monica McNally and Marcy Minnick expressed a desire to keep the current language in place. They said a broadened policy could create unwanted issues for the town.

The Board of Selectmen meeting was held at Darien Town Hall and broadcast on Darien TV79.

Currently, the flag policy, which was implemented by a vote of 3-2 in November 2022, allows for flying the United States flag, the Connecticut flag and the town of Darien flag at government buildings in town.

When the policy was first unveiled in August 2022, some residents felt it targeted the LGBTQ community, specifically the displaying of the Pride flag.

After asking to put together a revised policy last month, Burke brought forward a proposal Monday similar to Greewich's policy, but with some tweaks.

Each January, the Greenwich selectmen review the calendar and propose a slate of "legacy flags" to be displayed throughout the year "which will be consistent with past practices and custom of commemorating certain holidays, nations, civic organizations or groups."

Residents can also submit a request to the Office of the First Selectman for a particular flag display with supporting rationale at a minimum of 30 days in advance of the proposed date of the requested flag display.

Notably, Burke's proposal said that requests for flag raisings must be submitted by Oct. 1 of the year before the date sought in the request. Rather than have rolling submissions throughout the year, the board would meet to review and consider requests each December.

Additionally, requestors would be required to provide their own flag or reimburse the town for acquiring approved flags.

Burke also explained in his policy that flags raised at town hall serve as government speech and not as a form of free expression by the public.

"I really thought hard about this. The easy thing to do would be to stay as we are, but as I've said before, I truly believe that the easy thing is unworthy of us," Burke said. "I believe that this policy is a measured response to the comments that we've heard."

If the revised policy proved to be too "administratively burdensome," Burke said it could be removed quickly and replaced with the current language.

Neumann spoke about the importance of flags and how they make people feel included and seen.

"I want to live in a community that takes pride in showing others they're welcoming, that they're open," she said. "Darien is ever-evolving and we need to be mindful of applying our long-standing values to an ever-changing landscape. We do not seek to fly flags that are the flavor of the month, rather we seek to celebrate ideals whose values are universal and timeless. Why is it important to focus on the symbolic meaning of certain flags? Because they have meaning to our residents. We represent all of Darien, not just those who are afraid of change."

Neumann further said she believed it wouldn't be "too much effort" for the board to review flag requests on an annual basis.

"I want our residents to be proud of all of the flags we fly," she added. "The town flagpoles are large enough to accommodate another flag, and those flagpoles belong to our residents, all of them, not just a few who are afraid and worried about how it might look to others if we were to fly it."

The small audience at town hall gave Neumann a standing ovation.

Minnick said she appreciated Neumann's comments, but she said a broadened policy would put the board in a difficult position. She noted her strong commitment to the Pride community, but said the flag policy issue "has never been about the Pride flag."

"When we look at this policy we have to think about those that will come forth that may put us in a position where we are a confrontational board, where we are discussing things and we are putting certain individuals or certain interest groups at a disadvantage by not allowing them to express their voice," she said.

McNally, who was the town's chief elected official when the flag policy was put in place in 2022, said she came to the same conclusion as before.

"I think the three flags we have cover every single person in our town, and I continue to support the flag policy we have," she said.

Zagrodzky echoed those sentiments.

"[The current flags are] not meant to exclude anyone. They're not meant to say anyone's not welcome. But what they're meant to say is the town government represents and works and performs, and is up all night and is available and on-call for every single person here," Zagrodzky said. "The reason those three flags are there is to convey that message. It's not meant to be a message of exclusion or a message of unfair treatment."

Zagrodzky said he was convinced a broader policy would invite "a steady parade of people who are trying to get different flags flown at different times for whatever reason."

"I think the basis for rejecting requests like that, unless it's something that's truly egregious like a Nazi flag or something horrifying like that, anything that's short of that type of thing is going to be very hard for this board to reject," he added.

Zagrodzky thanked Burke for the proposal, and he said he appreciated the wording of the policy, but he could not support a change.

"I support our existing flag policy. I do so without any equivocation. I think it's the right policy for the town," Zagrodzky said. "This is not about exclusion… This is about a flag policy that works for everyone, and in my judgment, our current policy does that."

With that, the vote to amend the town's flag policy failed by a vote of two in favor and three against.

Watch Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting on demand on Darien TV79.