To the Editor,
I wanted to make the town community aware that there was a petition by I believe the American Legion Post #119 Veterans here in Manchester that was apparently added to the Select Board agenda, which was posted late Thursday, June 27th at 5:33 p.m. and heard before the Select Board on Monday July 1st.
Full disclosure, I was not aware of the agenda item and, as such, was not present at the meeting.
The petition apparently was to request that the LGBTQ+ Progress Flag no longer be flown on the Town Common Flagpole and be relegated to some other flagpole (location unknown) that the town would erect and pay for. The petition asking apparently for another flagpole to be erected so that the LGBTQ+ Flag would not fly on the “town” flagpole.
While the clerk for the Select Board today informed me that “no vote was taken” at the July 1st meeting to approve such a request, the clerk also informed me that a landscape architect is being hired to provide a proposal to determine the best location for an additional flagpole.
So, no vote was taken, no input from the town residents, other than those submitting the petition, but the town is already spending funds to find an additional location for a different flag pole that most likely will not be located in the place of honor of most town and city sanctioned flag poles, the place of governance, our town hall which already has a town flag pole.
A reminder that the Honor Role, which bears my name among others, was placed at the flagpole location to reflect the honor bestowed upon those entering the service from this town. It is not a memorial. This seems to me to be a lot of work and effort to relegate an already marginalized community to an “alternative” and lesser place of recognition.
I would ask, who are you hurting by relocating the LGBTQ+ Progress Flag from the Town Flagpole?
As a member of the Town’s Welcoming Committee, it seems to me the message is loud and clear.
Hope Watt-Bucci
Manchester
(Watt-Bucci is President of the North Shore Gay Alliance and a member of Manchester’s Welcome Committee and 4th of July Committee)
