Darien To Redesign Town Flag Following Selectmen Approval

DARIEN, CT — Darien will soon have a new town flag thanks to the work of Darien High School graduate Harris Cavanna.

The Board of Selectmen this week unanimously voted to redesign the town flag, an initiative started in 2024 by Cavanna who first contacted First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky with the idea. The July 7 meeting can be viewed on demand on Darien TV79.

The chosen flag was flown at Town Hall for a trial period in recent months to gauge feedback, and Zagrodzky said he's "talked to a dozen people" and heard unanimous support for the change.

The current flag is white with the town emblem in the middle. In an interview with Jim Cameron of Darien TV79 in April, Cavanna said he felt the flag could use a refresh. That interview can be viewed here.

The new flag features the Rings End Bridge, seagulls and contrasting shades of blue.

"I really like the new design," Zagrodzky said during this week's Board of Selectmen meeting. "As has been mentioned before, we're not going to change the town emblem or the symbol you see on pins and business cards. Just the flag right now."

Cavanna launched several surveys over the past year to get feedback and suggestions for a redesign. Altogether, he said he received around 1,700 responses.

It was decided in May to put the top three designs in action atop the flagpoles outside Town Hall.

"I think people being able to see the flag in real life and not just on a computer screen yielded more positive results than the surveys did," Cavanna said Monday. "So I think it was a good decision."

Selectman Monica McNally said she liked the new design, but suggested a little higher contrast for the colors. Cavanna said he's open to tinkering with the colors.

Zagrodzky said the flag that was flown during the trial run was made quickly, and it was not from the same company the town uses to procure other flags.

Cavanna thanked the selectmen for working with him throughout the process -- something he called "invaluable."

"I like the design, I think it's a good design," Cavanna said. "The process has taught me so much, and no matter what result comes out today, it's an invaluable experience. I appreciate you guys giving me the time of day."

Selectman Marcy Minnick congratulated Cavanna for undertaking the effort and succeeding.

"Change is hard, and to try and get the entire community on board to adapt to something that's different from what we've been used to, you really did a great job being patient and really talking to the community, getting ideas out there, doing your surveys," Minnick said. "Huge props to you as a young student who's trying to learn and navigate town policy and politics and coming up with an idea and being steadfast."

Zagrodzky did not say when the town can expect to change the flags over to the new design.