Library To Fly Pride Flag After Arlington Heights Village Opts Not To

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — June is recognized as LGBTQ Pride Month throughout the United States. In Arlington Heights, the Memorial Library Board voted 4-2 Tuesday in favor of a policy to allow a LGBTQ flag to be flown at the library building next month.

The decision came one night after the Arlington Heights Village Board rejected revisiting its own flag display ordinance, which limits the number of flags flying on property owned, leased or controlled by the Village to just the current four: United States of America, State of Illinois, Village of Arlington Heights and the National League of Families POW/MIA flags. That flag policy was approved in July 2021 amid calls to include the Pride flag.

The library board said it conferred with officials at the Glenview Public Library, who adopted a similar policy in favor of flying the Pride flag last year.

After a number of people on both sides of the issue spoke during the meeting, President Greg Zyck said the library board has also received around 85 emails regarding the topic. He said 76 of the emails were in favor of flying the flag, eight were against, and the intention of one person was unclear, according to Zyck.

"This has been a difficult issue for all of us. We received many emails from our community, of whom we're supposed to represent, in the affirmative for the gay Pride flag," said Trustee Debbie Smart, chairperson of the Northwest Suburban Pride Action Fund, who amended the Glenview policy for Arlington Heights. "This is not meant as a sole symbol, but being the start of something wonderful."

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

Smart, and fellow trustees John Supplitt, Amy Somary and Sarah Galla voted in favor of the flag policy, while Zyck and Carole Medal voted no. Trustee Andi Ruhl was not at the meeting.

Prior to the vote, Zyck suggested delaying it until the next meeting on June 6 to give the library's attorney, Roger Ritzman, more time to review the Glenview policy and the amended Arlington Heights policy.

"I would say I like Trustee Smart's amended policy. I think the roll of the dice here truly is whether it meets the legal standard. Policy does not supersede the law," Supplitt said. "In this respect, we're basically trusting Glenview having done the research of the law to the extent it needs to be."

After the policy was approved, a "disappointed" Medal said Ritzman has not reviewed the policy and called the decision "not right."

At Monday night's Village Board meeting, Miel Johnson, president of the League of Women Voters of Arlington Heights-Mount Prospect-Buffalo Grove, asked the board to revisit the flag ordinance it passed last year that denies flags of "special interest" groups to be flown at Village Hall.

Later in the meeting, Trustee Nicolle Grasse, who last year 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, asked her fellow trustees to reconsider the amendment as one member was absent from the vote in 2021. Grasse's amendment had failed by a 4-4 vote.

"Trustee Grasse, as you know, the majority of the board has voted in favor of the flag ordinance as it is now currently enacted. There was insufficient support to revisit any proposed amendments or to have any further discussion on it," Mayor Thomas Hayes said Monday night. "I mean, we could revisit all of the ordinances we've passed. Once it's discussed thoroughly, and there is insufficient support to revisit it, then I think we ought to drop it."

Hayes then took an informal poll of the board regarding revisiting the ordinance and only four board members of the nine — Grasse, Richard Baldino, Mary Beth Canty and Robin LaBedz — raised their hands. Trustee Tom Schwingbeck, who had missed the vote last year, did not raise his hand.