There's A Ceremonial Flag Pole For That: Newton Mayor

NEWTON, MA — In response to a letter from nearly the entire Newton City Council asking that the city allow the Newton Fire stations to fly a flag to remember fallen firefighters, Mayor Ruthann Fuller said, instead it could be flown on the ceremonial flag pole at City Hall.

Earlier this month the mayor sent a notice to department heads announcing that only the American Flag and Newton banners should hang on the sides of city buildings, it effectively meant a flag at one of the fire stations hung to remember fallen firefighters needed to come down ahead of Flag Day weekend. It didn't go well with firefighters and a number of residents and some city councilors took to the street in protest. Friday, 20 city councilors came up with a possible compromise, let them fly a memorial flag on the flag pole.

"Mayor Fuller would be happy to fly the Firefighters’ Memorial Flag on the ceremonial flag pole here at City Hall," Ellen Ishkanian, director of community communications for the mayor's office told Patch Monday.

The mayor's office did not seem to address the letter's proposal, however.

Read more: Newton City Councilors To Mayor: Reconsider Firefighter Flag Ban

The Newton Firefighters Association president said firefighters were told someone complained about a Thin Red Line flag, a flag that depicts an almost entirely gray U.S. flag, except for one of the red lines, symbolizing fallen firefighters. Shortly after, the mayor then ordered that only the U.S. flag and Newton city banners be displayed on city buildings, forcing the flag to be removed from inside of Station 4 where it has hung for some 2 1/2 years.

But the mayor said her decision to create a policy not about the flag.

"The Mayor supports the values embedded in the Firefighters Remembrance Flag and is deeply grateful for the sacrifices made by our firefighters," she said in a statement earlier this month. "This is not about any one particular flag. Rather, this is about not putting the City in a position of censoring/endorsing which banners and ideas put forward by our employees will be on the sides of our buildings."

Prior to the policy, put into writing on June 20, there was no written policy, according to the mayor's office. Fuller also told Newton employees they could not wear face coverings that bore logos or symbols on them. The policy stipulates that although flags should not be draped on city buildings or flag poles, they can be hoisted at city hall on the ceremonial flag pole.

Currently, that pole holds a Pride Flag for the month of June.

Read more: Newton City Councilors To Mayor: Reconsider Firefighter Flag Ban

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, a column, event or opinion piece.