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Residents urge council to let veterans' banner program proceed and ask for clearer staff responses
Summary
Multiple residents and veterans groups addressed the council during public comment to request full cooperation from city staff on the 'Faces of Freedom' banners, criticized a perceived administrative stoppage and lack of responses from city utilities staff, and asked council intervention to allow banners and flags to be installed.
Several residents and representatives of local veterans organizations used the public-comment period to urge the council to allow the "Faces of Freedom" banner program to proceed and to improve city responsiveness to volunteers.
Pam Yankee of the Fremont VFW Auxiliary said the group has 140 banners displayed and more requests pending and asked why existing banner brackets downtown and by the airport were not available for use. "We don't feel we're getting the cooperation from the rest of the city to give the veterans the recognition they need," she said.
Debbie Christiansen and Andrew Smithson (VFW Post 854 commander) described coordination problems with the Department of Utilities and cited unanswered calls to Jeff Shanahan and other staff. Christiansen said the BID volunteered to cover some downtown costs and questioned why earlier quoted fees ($5,000 downtown, $7,000 for 23rd Street) appeared in staff communications when banners were ultimately installed without charging volunteers.
Multiple residents, including Theresa Magrander, asked council to override any administrative decision that removed flags from poles and to ensure family members' flags are flown. Speakers framed the banners as volunteer-driven memorial recognition, not a commercial project, and asked for clearer communication and quicker responses from staff.
The council did not take formal action during the public-comment period; several council members later praised volunteer efforts and acknowledged the need for better coordination between staff and veterans groups.
