The decision to reject our flag request is arbitrary and based on explicit bias against our organization.”

Barrington UVC President Paul Dulchinos

Members of the Barrington United Veterans Council recently submitted requests to the town manager and a member of the town council to fly a “Keep Politics Off The Pole” banner on the town hall flagpole, but both requests were denied.

Undeterred, the group, led by Barrington UVC President Paul Dulchinos has re-submitted a request to fly a re-designed banner that shares the same message.

“I am still waiting for a response,” Mr. Dulchinos wrote in a recent email.

In the meantime, the group is drafting a formal request to have the town hall flagpole relocated out of the veterans memorial near the town hall, where it currently stands.

Last week, Mr. Dulchinos submitted a request to Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha to fly the “Keep Politics Off The Pole” flag. The banner was very similar to the lawn signs that can be found around Barrington preaching the same message. Mr. Cunha, who first raised the Black Lives Matter banner atop the flag pole in August 2020, denied Mr. Dulchinos’s request.

In a Feb. 10 email, Mr. Cunha wrote that he asked the town solicitor to review the request, and that it was the opinion of that office that veterans’ flag violated the US Flag Code, and therefore violated the town’s recently approved flag ordinance.

“According to the solicitor's office, the banner is inconsistent with this prohibition of the US Flag Code, as it depicts the United States flag with text and a logo emblazoned across it,” Mr. Cunha wrote.

“Of course, you have every right under the 1st amendment to display that banner on your own private property or in an open public forum. But the town flag pole is not such a forum. Instead, it is a forum for speech that is attributable to the town and not to any individual member of the public. And, when the town speaks, it must do so in a manner consistent with local ordinances.”

Mr. Dulchinos did not agree with the solicitor’s opinion.

“You are misinterpreting the flag code,” he wrote. “The banner I presented is not fashioned from a US Flag, it is not a modified US Flag, it is an original design and is not a ‘Stylized US Flag.’ It does not represent a political organization and is a simple value statement.

“The decision to reject our flag request is arbitrary and based on explicit bias against our organization.”

Mr. Dulchinos then turned to Barrington Town Council member Rob Humm, who also serves as liaison to the veterans group.

“We would like our ‘Keep Politics Off the Pole’ banner flown under the American flag over our Veterans Memorial for the entire month of May 2021 (to be removed the day before Memorial Day) in order to honor the men and women of Barrington who have served or are currently serving in the US Military,” Mr. Dulchinos wrote to Mr. Humm.

That request was also denied.

“I respectfully decline to sponsor your temporary flag application,” Mr. Humm wrote. “I don’t plan to serve as the sponsor of any proposed flags on the Veterans Memorial flagpole during my time on the Town Council, regardless of the flag.

“Thank you for your service and your work for the Town.”

In an email to Mr. Humm, Mr. Dulchinos showed his growing frustration with the situation, writing “It is becoming very clear that the current flag policy is a farce and the the Veterans of this community are second class citizens.

In a followup interview, Mr. Humm explained that the ongoing discussion over which flags to fly on the town hall flagpole is creating a further divide in the community.

“One of the things that’s most important to me is overall sense of community,” Mr. Humm said. “The longer we talk about flags, we’re not going to get that community that everyone wants.”

Mr. Humm said he does not intend on sponsoring any flags to be flown on the town hall flagpole.

During the Feb. 1 council meeting, where the council approved a flag policy, Mr. Humm said he did not think the Black Lives Matter banner should fly on the flagpole either, as there was no way to distinguish between the cause supporting Black lives and the Black Lives Matter organization. He felt that approving the resolution to have the Black Lives Matter banner fly until March 3 would help show the town’s support for Black History Month and provide a definitive date to take down the Black Lives Matter banner from the town’s flag pole.

The newly designed “Keep Politics Off The Pole” flag features three horizontal stripes — one red, one white, and one blue — and the message “Respect The Flag Keep Politics Off The Pole.”