WEBSTER — Residents gathered June 5 holding Pride flags and signs as a Pride flag was removed from Webster Town Hall following a town board vote not listed on the agenda.
It was the end of a short-lived stay for the pride flag, which was raised by town supervisor Alex Scialdone on June 1. The town board, by a 3-2 vote on June 4, elected to remove any flags from town property that were not the national, state or town flags.
For Brittany Bonanno, the removal of the pride flag marked an exceptionally sad day, with so much community support for its presence. Bonanno is raising three teenagers in Webster with her wife and worries about the impact of the flag removal and what it represents to families in the town.
“The bigger concern here is the safety of our children, and if they don’t feel seen, they don’t feel heard, they don’t think their families belong here,” Bonanno said.
Vote not listed on agenda draws scrutiny
The vote not being on the meeting agenda and passing with little discussion rankled Bonanno.
Councilmembers John Cahill, Jennifer Wright and Garrett Wagner voted in favor of the resolution limiting the flags that can fly on town property.
“I don’t think they had any energy to hear any of the support that went on for a long time last night. People who never come out and people who don’t speak up came out last night and it fell on deaf ears and it’s really frustrating, because they’re elected officials representing the town,” Bonanno said.
Residents and officials clash over decision
Wright attended the flag removal on June 5. She said she found division in the community, both online and in-person, once the flag was raised and it was announced on social media.
“I knew this was going to happen before it happened and I actually reached out to the supervisor and explained that our job as government officials is to govern the town and taking actions that are more social in nature creates a divide that is unnecessary and unproductive,” she said. “As soon as the post went up and the flag went up, the divide was immediate and it was very negative and it was very sad.”
Pride flag raised days earlier, then removed
The town’s Facebook post of the pride flag raising did draw a big reaction online. The post received 1,200 likes, 1,000 loves, 92 laughs and 58 angry reactions.
Scialdone said he promised to raise the pride flag when he ran for office in 2025, earning his first term as supervisor. He said throughout his life, terms like gay were used in a derogatory way, and that he was guilty of doing so when he was a child.
“As we grow and we learn that that is used to demonize a specific group of people, we move forward and I want to show people that we’re here to lead with love and acceptance. This was vitally important to me to at least show this community that they are seen and they are heard,” Scialdone said.
The supervisor said fewer than 10 people called or emailed the town with complaints about the pride flag. He said he believed the move to vote on the town’s flag policy, while not on the agenda, was pre-planned.
“I am discouraged by that, but I’m encouraged by the community and I’m not going to stop fighting for them,” Scialdone said. “… I would love to see the flag raised again, 100%. I will never stand down from that.”
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Webster board removes Pride flag after unlisted vote draws backlash
Reporting by Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
