Williamstown Select Board Talks about Bylaw for Flags on Town-Owned Poles
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday discussed a potential town bylaw that would regulate the display of flags on town property.
But while leaning toward a regulation that would limit those flags, several members of the board pushed for rules that also would open up the potential for more expression in other public spaces.
The discussion led to the latest in a long series of discussions about the extent to which the board itself should endorse political points of view.
"Do we want to give future Select Boards the power to hoist other flags?" asked Andrew Hogeland, who put together a draft bylaw that ultimately would go to town meeting for approval.
"I'm troubled because I always want the Select Board should stay in its lane. I think we should be wary about letting us — or other people in a few years — take on that power. If we do want to give them that power, part of this [draft] says it should be unanimous; there shouldn't be any doubt on this board that that [statement] is the right thing to do."
Jeffrey Johnson responded that he believes it is the job of the Select Board to make statements about the "morality and soul" of the town.
Specifically, Johnson said the town should be making public expressions to make sure all residents know "they are going to get an equal opportunity and a fair shake."
"Do I think we should have [a bylaw] in place? Yes," Johnson said. "But, for me, my goal is to make sure we can support groups who are outside. And we definitely have groups that feel that way to this day."
Hogeland replied that allowing the Select Board to be the gatekeeper for what displays go up on town property opens the door to people requesting access to express messages board members might find objectionable. He noted that until relatively recently, a lot of municipalities in the country had Confederate flags on flag poles in public spaces.
"You're going to have these conversations every time someone wants to hang a flag," Hogeland said.
"It's stepping in it, but it's worth stepping in it," Johnson said. "And I'm one who is not afraid to get dirty."
The board appeared to coalesce around a consensus that while the town-owned flag poles at Town Hall, the police station, Field Park and the Department of Public Works might be limited to the the American, Massachusetts and the federally recognized POW/MIA flags, other publicly owned land ought to be available for displays with town approval.
"I would love for us to get creative about ways to support Pride Month or Black History Month," Jane Patton said. "There could be something at Field Park that supports different groups at different times."
Johnson suggested that the town could, for example, swap out the flags hung from utility poles on Main Street before Memorial Day with Pride flags for the month of June before going back to American flags prior to Independence Day.
Patton said the town could establish an area for public displays in the "pocket park" on Spring Street.
"I'm siding with Jane," Randal Fippinger said. "I'm OK with specific things on flag poles as long as there is a mechanism for other acknowledgements in town."
Hogeland concluded the conversation by saying he would review the draft bylaw with town counsel and bring it back to the board for consideration at a later date.
In other business on Monday, the board appointed Williams College student Ashley Shan to fill a seat on the town's Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Advisory Committee through the end of June.
Shan told the board she has a particular interest in the kind of strategic planning that is a focus for the DIRE Committee this year and she looks forward to bringing a different perspective to the town's conversation around equity issues.
"I want to work on incorporating the community's voice in what DIRE is doing and wants to achieve," Shan said. "I volunteer at Williamstown Elementary School and have had a chance to really talk to youth in the town.
"Working with DIRE to create programming for youth as well as the broader community to create a general town culture where we can embrace [diversity and inclusion] is what I'd like to do with DIRE."
Hogeland informed the board that the developer hoping to build modular homes on the former Grange property on Water Street was before his board of the Affordable Housing Trust this month to receive a final letter of support from the body before seeking financing from state sources.
Hogeland said the housing development had been scaled back to eliminate previously discussed apartments in the Grange building, which was determined to be unsuitable for conversion to residential space. The current proposal calls for 16 homes, four of which would be restricted to residents earning a percentage of median income with the other 12 at market rate.
Hogeland said the developer hopes to be able to complete construction by late 2024.
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