The Elk River City Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday night to fly the old Minnesota state flag on city-owned property.
The city began soliciting feedback on the topic in March and, according to Mayor John Dietz, received more responses “than anything I can ever remember in the city.”
Dietz said during Monday’s meeting that the city heard from 1,100 residents and 75% of them were in favor of flying the old flag.
As such, the council unanimously approved a resolution to begin flying the old flag, effective Tuesday. The room broke out in applause when the motion was approved.
Other cities such as Zumbrota and Champlin have approved resolutions this year to fly the old flag.
In 2023, the Democratic trifecta established a commission to redesign the Minnesota flag and seal, giving it the power to choose a new flag without final approval from the legislature.
DFL Rep. Mike Freiberg, who led the charge to create a new flag, has said the old flag depicts “white settlers displacing Native Americans” and “violates every principle of flag design.”
The commission’s design officially became the new state flag on May 11, 2024, and has been the subject of frequent criticism ever since, especially in Greater Minnesota, where many local governments have rejected the new design.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
