Last October I reached out to the Mayor’s Office, and asked if, in light of the attack against Israel on 10/07/2023, they would be flying the Israeli flag and lighting the fountain in Houdini Plaza up in lights similar to the way the Ukrainian flag was flown after the attack on Ukraine. At the time, the Mayor’s Office did not respond, but I now have some additional information on both specifically the considerations that went into flying the Ukrainian flag and not flying the Israeli flag as well as more generally the considerations that go into flying any flag at City Hall.
I reached out 06/01/2024 to the Mayor’s Office and asked, “Could you please explain what the guidelines or considerations are for flying a special flag at City Hall and what steps citizens need to take in order to get a special flag flown?”
Initially, the Mayor’s Office responded by directing me to the Mayoral Policy on Proclamations, Commendations, and Certificates of Recognition as well as to the form members of the public can submit such requests through.
I then responded by noting the policy and request form did not pertain to City Hall flags and submitted an open records request asking for the requests that were submitted to fly the Ukrainian flag as well as the requests submitted each year to fly the Pride flag. I also asked for a copy of the policy that the Mayor’s Office uses to assess the requests they receive.
Mayor Woodford himself then responded with a copy of the policy and copies of the emails requesting special flags be flown.
These emails consisted of a request from Alderperson Alex Schultz (District 9) on behalf of an organization called Wisconsin Ukrainians asking that the Houdini Plaza fountain be lit in blue and gold until the Russia/Ukraine conflict ended. There were no communications requesting that the Pride flag be flown.
Along with these records, Mayor Woodford included an email providing additional context to the process for flying flags at City Hall.
He noted that the practice of flying the Pride flag had already been established prior to him taking office “however, there was no internal guidance or process related to that practice. Additionally, the practice at that time involved taking down the City of Appleton flag to fly a special flag, which I thought was inappropriate. As such, I directed staff to install and maintain a separate flag bracket for the purpose of flying special flags .”
He went on to say, “The administrative policy for special flags is maintained solely by the Office of the Mayor and is not subject to Council review. We developed the policy to provide some clarity around the flying of special flags, however, this matter is entirely at the discretion of the mayor.”
Regarding why he chose to fly a Ukrainian flag outside of City Hall but not an Israeli flag, he stated:
[Wisconsin Ukrainians] was planning a supply drive in downtown Appleton, and I decided to fly the Ukrainian flag in recognition of their efforts. They requested a color change to the lights in Houdini Plaza, which I granted, and I also included an offer to fly a special flag, which they supported.
Conversely, no such events were organized related to the terrorist attack on Israel, nor did any local organization request flying that nation’s flag on City Hall. The only inbound communication we received on the subject of flying this flag came well after the fact and only after the national discourse had become a sort of partisan litmus test.
He linked to a Post Crescent article published in December of 2023 in which he commented on special flags being flow at City Hall. The article is behind a paywall, but if you have a subscription to the Post Crescent you should be able to read it.
I pointed out to Mayor Woodford that I and other individuals in Appleton had asked about flying the Israeli flag in October and early November, well before the issue became a partisan issue. I asked why his office did not get back to any of these people and explain the policy and procedures for having a flag flown.
I also asked if he could explain more about the framework he used to determine if an event or holiday was too partisan to fly a flag for, noting that his office continued to fly the Pride flag yearly even though that had also become a far more partisan issue that it perhaps was when the practice was first implemented.
He responded by saying:
As previously stated, there is no documented framework for consideration of flag requests – I make a determination based on my own judgement. As also noted, it is at my discretion whether to fly a flag, and I may rescind approval for a flag at any time. My determinations are made on a case-by-case basis, and this applies to all flags flown on City Hall.
I recognize that there are a wide range of opinions represented in our community on virtually every issue, and that no decision will be met with universal approval or acclaim. With respect to special flags, I can understand that my decisions will inevitably please some and disappoint others and I do my best to balance these interests when flying these flags.
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