Days after the Pride flag was raised for the first time ever at Webster Town Hall, it was taken down.
The move came as the result of a new flag policy passed Thursday by the Town Board in a 3-2 vote. Town Board member John Cahill introduced the policy, which established the United States flag and the New York state flag as the only ones allowed on flagpoles on town property.
Town Supervisor Alex Scialdone raised the flag and issued a proclamation for Pride on Monday. He said he'd received largely positive, supportive comments about it, but that some feedback was critical. He added he was disappointed by the vote.
"It is something that is very important to me and it was done in the spirit of compassion in respect of a population that has been traditionally marginalized," Scialdone said during an interview Friday.
The policy passed with little discussion. Scialdone and Town Board member Nick Hunter, both of whom are Democrats, voted against the policy. The three Republicans on the board — Cahill, Jennifer Wright, and Garrett Wagner — voted in favor of it.
That vote followed nearly an hour of comments from the public regarding the flag, with the majority of speakers praising the town for raising it. One speaker characterized it as an improper political statement by the town.
