Fold the new Raleigh flag idea

Beware the civic-minded public servant who asks for public comment on artistic matters. While Raleigh City Council member Bonner Gaylord means well in suggesting a new city flag, he may be opening a Pandora’s Box with more flag versions than a meeting of the United Nations.

If you didn’t know Raleigh had a flag, you’re likely in the majority. It’s nondescript, with the city seal on one side and Sir Walter Raleigh’s crest on the other with a deer on top of it because the city was in a forest (“City of Oaks” and all that). Gaylord wants something snazzier. Council member John Odom wants squirrels on it, though it’s likely he had tongue in cheek with that one.

We suggest Gaylord think about a time when a well-meaning citizen in another city launched a city song contest years back. There were many entries, all of them ... well, not anything you’d want to leave your heart in. A Raleigh flag branding study would result in an idea that reminds us of the old joke: How many Virginians does it take to change a lightbulb? Four – one to change the bulb, and three to talk about how much better the old one used to be.

The councilor would do well to keep a potential tempest in the teapot and let this discussion go away. The current flag represents well enough, which ought to be left alone.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Fold the new Raleigh flag idea."