Milwaukee Council Delays Adoption of New Flag

OCTOBER 15, 2024 — The Milwaukee Common Council has once again postponed a decision on whether to adopt the “Sunrise Over the Lake” design, known as the “People’s Flag,” as the city’s official flag, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The sponsor of the effort, Ald. Peter Burgelis, initially proposed a substitute resolution during Tuesday’s meeting to put the question to voters via a referendum in April.

Burgelis noted that dwindling support from his fellow alders would likely prevent the resolution from passing through the council chambers, according to Milwaukee Record. He introduced the referendum as a potential alternative to settle the issue democratically. However, Milwaukee city laws do not allow for such referendums without changes to either state law or the City Charter, which Burgelis suggested he would work on amending.

Other council members, including Ald. Robert Bauman, expressed concerns about the referendum proposal, warning it could set a dangerous precedent for other issues to be decided through referendums. Bauman pointed out that allowing a referendum on the flag could lead to other matters being put to a vote with just a simple majority, which he believes is a bad precedent for the council to establish.

In the end, Burgelis withdrew the referendum proposal and agreed to put the matter on hold, saying, “I’m happy to withdraw my substitute at this time, and we can hold the file and continue discussions on the best way forward.”

Burgelis had previously sent a detailed memo to his colleagues, addressing questions they had raised about the proposed flag’s design. Among the concerns was the issue that the sun rising over Lake Michigan, depicted on the flag, is a view that not all residents, especially in the city’s racially segregated areas, have equal access to.

Image: CC0 1.0

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