LAURA JAMESON/THE EXPRESS Following lengthy discussion regarding its flag pole resolution in Triangle Park, Lock Haven City Council directed its city manager to revisit the current resolution with city Solicitor Justin Houser.

LOCK HAVEN — Lock Haven City Council has directed City Manager Gregory Wilson to meet with city Solicitor Justin Houser to review its flag policy after hearing from multiple residents at this week’s meeting.

The central focus was on council’s 4-2 approval of a use request to place a Christian flag in Triangle Park during April. The month is regarded by some groups as Faith Month and originated with the Concerned Women for America group.

Prior to public comment, Mayor Joel Long — who was among the yes votes — acknowledged why many were in council chambers and noted if anything were to come of the discussions, council wouldn’t be able to vote on the matter until a later meeting.

Council heard first from Bill Stankowicz. Stankowicz, along with Richard Wallace, made the request to place the flag in the park during April. They also, with Swissdale United Methodist Church, requested three crosses be placed in the park between March 23 and April 20 for the Easter holiday. It was clarified at Monday’s meeting Swissdale United Methodist was involved in the request because it insures the crosses.

On Monday night, Stankowicz thanked council for its previous approval.

“I would like to express my appreciation to allow the Christian flag to be flown on behalf of all Christians in the community,” Stankowicz said.

Following Stankowicz were multiple residents who expressed concerns for the placement of the flag. The particular hang up for many regarded the origins of Faith Month and not the flag itself.

At a previous meeting, resident Bre Reynolds noted the Concerned Women for America group — which pushed for the month two years ago — was classified as an LGBTQ+ hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center.

On Monday night, Reynolds said she was speaking on behalf of the Clinton County Pride Alliance — where she serves as president of its board — and as a queer community member.

Reynolds noted the LGBTQ+ community collective has no problems with the Christian community.

“Collectively we have no issues with Christians, the flag or the church. There are millions of queer Chrisians,” she said. “But as I stated last week, Faith Month was created out of hate. This homophobic group — Concerned Women for America — has hijacked this well-intended flag and your Christian faith.”

Reynolds said her disagreement with the placement of the flag is not an agenda.

“Not to be dramatic but it is survival for me, my family and the many, many queer people that are in this town,” she said. “My only agenda is to live in a world where we are not targets.”

Reynolds noted that in 2020 when she and the alliance requested rainbows be painted before the stop bars downtown, she received multiple threats.

“I personally received several threats and a fragile, triggered man told me that I should be ‘raped straight’,” she said. “Because of some color on the streets. Because women love women and men love men. My role as president of the pride alliance is to advocate against the hate and prejudice to the people in this county — the city included.”

Resident Elsa Winch expressed her concerns regarding council’s decision last week.

“I’m a person of strong faith, I am Jewish. I am comfortable and secure in my beliefs and I am respectful of other people’s beliefs as I hope other people of faith are of mine,” Winch said.

Winch noted this didn’t mean she wouldn’t challenge “inaccurate or offensive beliefs of religious or political organizations that hurt other people in my community or my family.”

She focused her comments on the CWA and the origins of Faith Month, which kick started the request.

“The CWA makes no bones about condemning the existence, legal rights, access to healthcare and marginalization of LGBTQ+ people and families both publicly and in writing,” she said.

Winch suggested council consider revisiting its flag policy — which was enacted by resolution in 2023 — to have more clear cut guidelines.

Woodward Township resident Betty Brendel, who said she has ties to the city, also offered comment — encouraging council to make decisions that showcases the community’s diversity for its residents and also visitors.

“I say let’s let them know that Lock Haven area businesses, shops and restaurants are ready to serve them no matter where they come from,” Brendel said. “Let’s take this opportunity to place an April flag in Triangle Park that proudly and clearly sends this message: Welcome to Lock Haven, our doors are open. Not just to some but to all.”

City resident Rose Reeder, much like Winch, expressed her interest in seeing council revisit its flag resolution.

Reeder acknowledged the passion of the individuals who want the Christian flag placed in Triangle Park, but noted the CWA — although not the one to make the request — has “more or less usurped the flag” for its own agenda.

“I know your policy and I know you can’t pick and choose and say no to something if you’ve already made a decision,” she said. “But if this is going to stand, then to me it seems like we’d be better off not to have this policy.”

Resident Juno Olsen expressed their disappointment in the members of council who chose to vote in favor of the flag placement.

“Even though it is called Faith Month, it is not promoting faith, it is promoting Christianity and there are so many different faith groups in Lock Haven that this will not represent,” Olsen said.

Olsen further noted the flag can “promote hate towards the people that see it and others will feel unwelcome.”

When it came to council’s portion of the discussion, Councilmember Tami Brannan — who was absent from last week’s meeting — said she was disappointed to know the request passed.

“The passing of this was disappointing to me for several reasons. First, I believe that church and state should always be separate,” Brannan said. “Second, the public display of religion can appear to be an enforcement of religion which is against the establishment clause of the First Amendment.”

Brannan noted that churches have their own private properties where its members can display whatever they choose.

Brannan’s concerns, like many, looped back to the origins of Faith Month and the CWA.

“The Concerned Women of America is first and foremost a lobbying group that pushes for a conservative agenda to remove the rights of women and LGBTQ people, as well as force the ideals of Christian religion on Americans,” she said. “If this was a true Faith Month they would have chosen a more inclusive flag to represent all religious practices in America.”

When it came to a rebuttal, Councilmember Jeff Brinker read from information he said council received Monday morning. The majority of the information centered around a Supreme Court Case — Shurtleff Vs. Boston — that took place a few years prior.

Brinker said the case was similar. Boston’s City Council elected to place flags from various groups in a plaza near its City Hall.

“The city of Boston at the time did not have guidance or policies in place as to how they would allow or disallow a private group to exercise their freedom of speech,” Brinker noted.

This lack of policy, he said, led to legal action when the city denied placing the Christian Flag in the plaza.

Brinker noted the similarities between the Boston case and the City of Lock Haven, but said the difference was that council chose to approve the request to fly the Christian flag — exercising freedom of speech.

“Boston did not give the same approval to Christians as they did other groups and the Supreme Court ruled against the City of Boston,” Brinker said.

Brinker noted when council considered a flag policy in 2023 he voted against it.

“I said at that time, once we open it, we’ll open it up to everybody,” he said. “No, I don’t want a Nazi flag, no, I don’t want a frog flag hanging in Triangle Park because people like frogs.”

“But because we opened it up to one, we cannot discriminate against others. That’s why we have allowed other organizations at Triangle Park to put up things,” he continued.

Mayor Joel Long stated he would be fine if council were to reopen discussion surrounding its flag policy resolution. He further stated he voted yes to the resolution because he was aiming to create an inclusive space within the city for all.

“I was using the same principles that I used to vote and defend my decision on the rainbow (Pride) flag,” he said. “That being said, anybody who wants to open up the policy… I’d be happy to go back to saying we’re just going to put the government flags back.”

Councilmember Barb Masorti motioned to direct Wilson to meet with the city’s solicitor to review the policy and bring back potential resolutions to council for further consideration.

“I do think we need clarification on what exactly that represents and what our policy is in a much more clear and concise manner,” Masorti said.

The motion was seconded by Councilmember Rick Conklin and passed unanimously.

Council did not motion to reopen consideration of the use request involving the Christian flag being placed in Triangle Park in April.

To do so, one of the four “yes” votes from the previous meeting would have needed to motion to do so. None of councilmembers Steve Stevenson, Heather Alexander and Brinker nor Mayor Long elected to make that motion when asked by Reynolds.