Officials in a Morris County town passed a controversial ordinance this week amending the town’s rules about displaying flags on town property, including the rainbow Pride flag to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Boonton’s town council passed the new ordinance Monday in a 6-3 vote. It narrowly limits what flags can fly.

The previous ordinance — which allowed flags to fly over municipal property if they were tied to proclamations made by the U.S. president — passed in December. It could have allowed groups to apply to fly Pride flags over town property when President Joe Biden declares June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Pride Month each year.

The new rules say “town-owned flag poles are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public and are for official purposes.” The ordinance limits the flags that can fly over municipal property to the American flag, state and county flags, and military flags or Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action flags.

Boonton Councilman Ben Weisman, who voted against the new ordinance, said he was disappointed, but unsurprised by the vote. The town’s previous ordinance included a review process for denying applications if needed and should have remained in place, he said.

“It included clear guard rails to prevent flags that represent hate speech from being allowed,” Weisman said. “That is now gone.”

“Instead we have a new ordinance that restricts speech, is an example of governmental overreach and as we heard in public testimony and have seen since the vote caused real harm to our residents,” he added. “Government needs to do better.”

The vote followed objections from some council members and Boonton Rainbow Pride, a local LGBTQIA+ advocacy group that wanted to keep the old flag ordinance.

“Boonton is not a town divided,” said Boonton Rainbow Pride co-founders Linda Hogoboom and Lindsey Weisman in a joint statement. “While the town council has chosen this path, there are many in town who have shown their support for the LGBTQ+ community. The original flag ordinance’s process called for a conversation and questions, but when the people in power won’t have a conversation, this is where we end up.”

Lindsey Weisman is married to Councilman Ben Weisman.

For the last few years, Boonton Rainbow Pride has asked town officials if they could raise a Pride flag at town hall during the month of June, Hogoboom said. The group’s request was routinely denied.

But, members were eventually granted permission last year to raise the flag in June at Grace Lord Park, a municipal park, she said.

After the ordinance was approved in December outlining the new criteria for requesting a flag be flown at town hall, Boonton Rainbow Pride submitted a new application on Dec. 18, Hogoboom said.

The group was told their request was in compliance with the new rules by the town administrator, she said. But, then group members never heard anything else from the town about raising the Pride flag.

On April 1, Councilman Daniel Balan introduced a new resolution that would amend the prior flag ordinance. The new rules, which passed this week, would not include flying flags tied to presidential proclamations.

Balan did not respond to a request for comment.

Councilwoman Marie DeVenezia voted against the ordinance.

“In the past four months only one group, Boonton Rainbow Pride, has made a request, which was deemed complete and should have been approved under the previous ordinance,” she said.

“Visibility matters. Representation matters,” said DeVenezia. “In a town that prides itself on diversity I find this revised flag ordinance to be a giant step backwards for my LGBTQ friends and neighbors.”

Other members of the council — which includes the mayor and eight council members — did not respond to requests for comment.

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