Flag Vote Protest Planned For Thursday In Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — A group of residents attending a July 6 Arlington Heights Village Board meeting were visibly and audibly upset about a particular vote. When trustees voted 5-3 in favor of an ordinance to limit the number of flags flying on property owned, leased or controlled by the Village, thereby not allowing flags like the Pride and Juneteenth flags to be included, some members of the crowd jeered at Mayor Tom Hayes as he addressed them following the vote. Some will be in attendance at a planned Thursday protest and press conference decrying the decision.

As a result of the vote, only the four flags that were flying prior to the vote — United States of America, State of Illinois, Village of Arlington Heights and the National League of Families POW/MIA — are allowed to fly moving forward.

In a social media post, organizers of Thursday's rally are asking protest participants to gather at 9:45 a.m. at North School Park (N Evergreen Avenue and E Eastman Street) with the protest scheduled to start at 10:15 a.m. Free parking is available on N Evergreen Avenue, according to organizers.

Prior to the final vote on July 6, Trustee Nicolle Grasse proposed an amendment to the ordinance that would have allowed the Village Board to vote to fly any flags that have been flown by federal and state governments. It failed by a 4-4 vote. Grasse was joined by trustees Mary Beth Canty and Robin LaBedz in voting down the ordinance in the final vote. Trustee Richard Baldino, who had supported Grasse's amendment, eventually voted for the ordinance.

Organizers of the rally are hoping for a revote on the amendment. Trustee Tom Schwingbeck was not at the meeting and did not vote.

"Local government flagpoles should be limited to flying only those flags all of its residents can support,"Hayes said. "For many practical and legal reasons, I believe that a local government should not be making political or social content-based statements on its flagpoles."

In the social media post, organizers said Arlington Heights has not had a flag ordinance since 1887. Hayes said that the ordinance was not made in response to the Pride flag specifically, though officials acknowledge a resident had requested that flag be flown at Village Hall during June's Pride month.

"We're also not here to prohibit the flying of any flag by private citizens, private businesses or anywhere on private property," Hayes said. "Rather, the proposed flag ordinance is a way to deal with the bigger picture issue of handling all requests to fly special flags on Village flagpoles going forward."

RELATED: Pride Flag Will Not Fly At Village Hall In Arlington Heights

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