'It's time for the city to catch up': Milwaukee alderman leads revived push to change official flag
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – There is a revived effort to change the official flag of Milwaukee.
"It's not representative of our values today, there is some imagery that isn't appropriate to be on a city flag. It has served its time. The community has spoken and moved forward, and it's time for the city to catch up," 11th District Alderman Peter Burgelis said.
On Tuesday, Burgelis introduced a resolution to update the Milwaukee flag. He called the current one, which features Native American imagery and the old county stadium, a great time capsule of what the city was like when it was first flown in the 1950s, but said that the city has evolved past it.
Burgelis proposed the city adopt the "Sunrise Over the Lake" flag, known as the "People's Flag," which gained popularity after it was chosen by the community in 2016 when the city was originally considering changing the official flag. Since then, the flag has been used by Milwaukeeans on porches, shirts, and business logos.
"The sunrise over the lake is a new beginning, a new dawn, a new day, and that's really where I see Milwaukee right now," Burgelis said. "Where we're growing, and Milwaukee is developing as a community stronger and stronger every day."
Later this month, a Common Council committee will review the resolution and Burgelis will announce community comment sessions to get feedback from constituents before the full Common Council votes on changing the flag in September.
The hope is the new flag will be introduced on Jan. 31, 2025, Milwaukee's 179th birthday.