Oak Harbor council reopens Pride flag policy debate

Oak Harbor is back at the center of a flag policy fight that could decide whether city property stays limited to federally recognized banners or opens the door to Pride and other commemorative flags. Mayor Ronnie Wright and city staff are asking the council to reconsider a rule that would shape what the city can display at its facilities, and who gets publicly recognized there.

The council first wrestled with the issue on June 3, 2025, when Communications Officer Magi Aguilar presented a resolution that would let the mayor, with council agreement, raise commemorative flags and lower federal and state flags to half-staff. The proposal defined a commemorative flag as one tied to a specific event, cause, theme, nation or group of people the council chooses to honor, recognize or commemorate. The debate was not only about Pride, but about how far the city wants to go in using government space for symbolic recognition.

Councilmember Eric Marshall said he supported giving the mayor authority to lower the U.S. flag to half-staff for local tragedies or reflection, but opposed expanding the flags flown on city property beyond federally recognized flags. Councilmember James Marrow said symbolic displays may divide more than unite community members. Mayor Pro Tem Tara Hizon pushed in the opposite direction, saying commemorative flags should be encouraged rather than prohibited and framing the question as one of inclusivity.

That split matters because the practical change would be immediate at city facilities. Under the proposed policy, Oak Harbor could raise commemorative flags such as Pride when the council approves them, turning city property into a more visible venue for public recognition. Under a narrower rule, the city would continue limiting flags to federally recognized standards, keeping the public display of identity, causes and celebrations off municipal grounds.

The discussion lands in the middle of Pride Month on Whidbey Island, where public celebrations are already filling the calendar from Oak Harbor to Langley. Langley recently held a ceremony at City Hall to raise a rainbow Pride flag, and Oak Harbor’s second annual Pride Walk is scheduled for June 6, 2026, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Flintstone Park. The city’s first Pride walk began there in 2025, then moved along Pioneer Way, stopped at Buskers Corner and ended at The Tipsy Jellyfish.

That first walk was organized by Ameina Qazi, owner of Ophelia’s, after she said she noticed a need for more representation in town. Qazi said the event was meant to build community and support suicide prevention. As Oak Harbor reopens its flag policy debate, the council is weighing more than a rule about fabric on a pole; it is deciding how the city defines public representation in its own spaces.