Lynnwood proclaims Pride Month as residents and council debate where commemorative flags may fly

The Lynnwood City Council on Tuesday proclaimed June as LGBTQ Pride Month and spent much of its public-comment period and ensuing business meeting discussing how and where commemorative flags may be displayed on city property.

Mayor George Hurst opened the meeting with a proclamation that referenced Stonewall and called on the city to "celebrate the contributions of the LGBT community and stand with us to ensure that all members of our community feel safe and welcomed in Lynnwood." Several community members accepted the proclamation and urged the council to follow it with policy changes that would make Pride flags more visible in public spaces.

"Pride now at its core is about the freedom to live as a whole person," said a representative of the business Strange Magic Tattoo after the proclamation. Charlotte Lefever, identified in public comment as founder and director of Lynnwood Pride, urged the council to nullify a 2025 flag policy and adopt an ordinance allowing the city to fly a Pride flag as an official city flag or under a clear proclamation process.

Philip Lipson of Lynnwood Bridal asked the council to move a planned flag-raising earlier on the agenda and to revise the city's flag policy so community groups receive clearer support for public displays. "We encourage working with organizations and persons," Lipson said, calling flag visibility "very important." Nathan Mumm, showrunner for GeekFest West, also used public comment to thank the city for hosting his event.

Opponents at the podium argued the city should be neutral on what flags fly on government property. "What makes the Pride flag so special compared to every other flag that's out there?" said Jason Moore, who told the council government-owned property should not give perceived preferential treatment to one group.

The mayor presented proposed changes to the executive flag policy (originally issued in September 2025) that would limit display of commemorative flags and banners to those explicitly authorized by a federal, state, mayoral or city-council proclamation and would prohibit commemorative flags in city parks. Several council members pushed back on the parks exclusion, noting Lynnwood has 17 parks but only four with flagpoles and that adding poles or hardware would carry costs.

"I'm strongly urging the mayor to amend the policy to allow commemorative flags to be displayed in our public parks," Council member Mata said, asking the administration to provide options. Council member White noted the practical constraint that only four of the city's parks currently have poles; the mayor said he would ask Parks for cost and manpower estimates and report back at the next work session.

Councilor Armada said he will introduce a draft ordinance to create a "clear and consistent viewpoint-neutral framework" for commemorative flag displays that would explicitly include parks if the executive policy is not amended. The mayor and several council members said they would consider the ordinance and asked that legal review occur before formal introduction.

The council did not take a final vote on the flag policy at the meeting; the mayor committed to getting additional information from Parks about feasibility and cost, and Councilor Armada plans to circulate a draft ordinance for legal review.

The council convened other business thereafter, including several ordinances voted on by roll call.