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Passaic officials explain veterans-banner program and preview 250th-anniversary plans after public questions
Summary
Residents asked why a station-area banner lists VFW, DAV and an American Legion emblem and pressed the city for details about a historic-committee and July 4, 250th-anniversary events. Mayor said veteran groups were centralized through grant-funded efforts and the city will follow up on banner registration and replacements.
A public commenter asked the City Council April 23 about a banner at the Albert Lawson Memorial VFW Post on Summer Street that lists VFW, DAV and an American Legion symbol and whether the American Legion post is registered.
The mayor and administration said the city understands the veteran organizations are autonomous but that a joint, centralized location was created after funding from Habitat for Humanity, the state and HUD. The mayor said administrators would reach out to the veteran groups and the business administrator to confirm which chapters are present and asked the council to empower residents to contact the VFW office directly for immediate answers.
The mayor described the banner initiative as a relatively new program that depended on residents sending photos and documentation for verification. “We had to verify they actually served, and then we put up their banners,” the mayor said, explaining that banners are ordered in bulk, replaced as they wear, and that the city will allow families to donate replacement banners to expedite repairs.
Council members also discussed the city’s historic-committee work and plans tied to the city’s 250th anniversary. The mayor said a committee had been convened for past milestones and that the city is in talks with a national "Victory Town" organization about possible July 4 reenactments and commemorations. The mayor offered to prepare a report on the historic committee’s membership and activities for the council.
Why it matters: veterans’ banners and commemoration plans are highly visible to neighborhoods and veterans’ families; the council committed to following up with veteran organizations for registration and with staff about banner replacements and a committee report.
The council did not take a formal vote on these public-comment items but asked administration to follow up and return with clarifications about chapter registrations, banner replacement procedures and the historic-committee report.
