JUNE 24, 2025 — Milwaukee is taking formal steps to redesign its city flag, with a newly established task force set to oversee a public-driven process aimed at selecting a new design by the end of 2025, Hoodline reports.
The decision marks the latest chapter in a decades-long debate over the city’s visual identity.
The Common Council approved the creation of the Milwaukee City Flag Task Force today on June 24, a resolution spearheaded by Alderman Peter Burgelis and supported by multiple city officials.
The nine-member task force will include appointments from the mayor, the Common Council president, and the chair of the Milwaukee Arts Board. Its goal is to solicit design submissions from the public, evaluate them, and recommend up to ten finalists to be considered for official adoption.
The effort builds on past attempts to replace the city’s current flag, a 1954 design by Alderman Fred Steffan featuring a crowded array of imagery including County Stadium, a church, a factory, and barley stalks. Long criticized for being cluttered and outdated, the flag has remained the city’s official emblem despite multiple redesign efforts since the early 2000s.
One of the most notable alternatives has been the “People’s Flag of Milwaukee,” designed by Robert Lenz and titled Sunrise Over the Lake. The flag, selected in 2016 through a grassroots design contest, features a stylized sunrise over Lake Michigan with blue bars representing the city’s rivers and founders.
While widely embraced in local merchandising and informal use, it never received formal adoption due to concerns over the inclusivity and legitimacy of the selection process.
In 2024, the Common Council came close to recognizing the People’s Flag as official, but ultimately returned the proposal to committee.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson voiced reservations, stating that he did not believe the design fully represented all Milwaukee residents, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I am optimistic Milwaukee will have a fitting flag approved soon,” he said after the latest resolution passed.
The newly formed task force aims to improve on past efforts by incorporating more robust community input and broader outreach.
Burgelis emphasized that while the People’s Flag may be resubmitted, the process is open to all. “There might be a really good new idea, and I’m all for it if something better comes through this process,” he said. “We deserve that end from a more inclusive process.”
The Common Council is expected to vote on the task force’s recommendations by December 31, 2025. The final design, if approved, would likely be adopted ahead of Milwaukee’s 180th anniversary on January 31, 2026.
