Chelsea council approves Pride and Juneteenth proclamations, asks staff to study a flag policy

The Chelsea City Council on May 22, 2023, approved two proclamations recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month and June 19 as Juneteenth Independence Day and asked staff and the city attorney to research a formal flag-raising policy.

The Pride proclamation "recognizes and proclaims the month of June 2023 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) 'Pride Month' throughout the City," and council voted unanimously to approve it (motion by Tony Iannelli; second by Eric Keaton). Council also approved a proclamation declaring June 19, 2023 as Juneteenth Independence Day (motion by Eric Keaton; second by Peter Feeney). Both motions passed by voice vote recorded as "All ayes."

During public comment, Chelsea resident Anthony Shakeshaft encouraged council about the upcoming Pride event, thanked local businesses for their support, raised concerns about a history of stolen flags in the city, and said he supported discussion of a flag policy. Council members said Chelsea currently has no specific flag-raising policy, noted there have been multiple recent requests to raise flags in support of causes and observances, and asked staff to consult the city attorney about the legal and policy implications of creating a formal flag policy or resolution.

Council’s action places proclamations on the record while the administration researches the scope and implications of a flag policy. Staff were asked to report back with the pros and cons of creating either a standing policy or ad hoc resolutions for individual flag requests.