Seven flags at Berkeley Heights Town Hall.

At what point did Town Hall become a theme park of selected causes, ceremonies, and political messaging?

At the recent flag raising, Berkeley Heights had the Pride flag, Portuguese flag, World Cup flag, American flag, POW/MIA flag, New Jersey flag, and a municipal or county flag all flying together.

The American flag should be front and center at Town Hall, not visually lost in a rotating display of whatever causes elected officials feel like promoting this month.

Council Vice President Susan Poage wrote an op-ed under her official title explaining why she believes the Pride flag sends an important message. She is free to believe that as a private citizen.

But when elected officials use public property, official ceremonies, and official titles to promote selected messages, residents have every right to ask:

Who approved this?

What is the policy?

Can any group request a flag?

Can religious groups request one?

Can taxpayer groups request one?

Can veterans groups request one?

Can residents whose basements flood every time it rains request one?

Because right now, it looks less like good government and more like Town Hall being used as a billboard for the personal priorities of elected officials.

Every resident deserves dignity and equal treatment. That should be obvious.

But equal treatment does not require seven flags, ceremonies, speeches, and op-eds. It requires a Council that listens to residents and does its actual job.

How about a flag for fixing flooding?

How about a flag for road repairs?

How about a flag for sewer problems?

How about a flag for stopping overdevelopment?

How about a flag for taxpayers?

Better yet, how about we stop turning Town Hall into a political display case and get back to running the town?

Susan Poage can campaign on symbolic politics all she wants. But Berkeley Heights residents need competence, not more photo ops.

We need roads fixed, flooding addressed, development controlled, and taxes respected.

Seven flags do not solve one pothole, one sewer issue, or one flooded basement.

Town Hall should serve residents, not selected messages.