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May 24, 2010 in City
Dispute over flagpole and memorial have veterans seeking recall
Group in Kellogg want seven city leaders removed from office
Vietnam veteran Joe Wallace stands near an empty flagpole in Memorial Park in Kellogg on Friday. He is among local veterans in a dispute with the Kellogg City Council over flying a Tree City USA flag with the American flag.
(Full-size photo)
An empty flagpole standing in the middle of Kellogg’s Memorial Park symbolizes a months-long dispute between veterans and city leaders that has escalated into recall petitions being filed against the mayor and all six City Council members.
The flagpole formerly displayed both the American flag and a Tree City USA flag, until the commanders of Silver Valley veterans groups informed the city in August that flying both on the same pole was improper. The flags flew above a veterans’ memorial dedicated to the city more than 50 years ago. The stone memorial embedded with a plaque honored veterans of the two World Wars and of the Korean War.
The veterans asked that the Tree City flag be removed and offered a separate flagpole to fly it, said Lee Haynes, a spokesman for the veterans. Instead, the city removed the American flag and dug up the memorial, moving it to a newer veterans’ park, just across the lawn to the north.
“We look at a memorial much like you do a gravesite,” Haynes said. “Why you think you can rip apart a 50-year-old memorial is beyond my imagination.”
Mayor Mac Pooler said when city officials met with the veterans, they offered three options, one of which was to move the stone memorial to the new memorial park.
“The council discussed it and decided that would be a nice option,” Pooler said. “We thought we had this thing worked out. We didn’t intend any animosity.”
But Haynes said that was considered a last resort – if the city couldn’t be persuaded to remove the Tree City flag. The veterans treasure both memorials, he said. The older memorial commemorates veterans of the two World Wars and of the Korean conflict. The newer memorial honors all Silver Valley veterans, Haynes said.
“We made a simple request that it be removed,” Haynes said of the Tree City flag. “We never had an answer.”
The veterans didn’t want the historic memorial standing beneath anything but the American flag. That’s why they offered the separate pole for the Tree City flag, he said. Instead, after digging up the memorial, the city put the Tree City USA flag back on the flagpole.
“That kind of blew the lid off the teapot,” Haynes said.
A rally followed and veterans flooded into City Council meetings. Regular updates on the situation are posted on a Facebook page called “Stop the City of Kellogg, Idaho from Destroying a Veterans Memorial.”
On Wednesday morning, recall petitions were filed against the City Council members and the mayor. Also on Wednesday, a group of veterans went to the flagpole and with help from a hydraulic lift loaned to them by Ken Smith, owner of Dave Smith Motors, removed the Tree City flag, replacing it with an American flag. The police arrived, and Chief Dave Wuolle said he had the right to issue trespassing citations, but he said that would only make a bad situation worse.
“I’m not going to write any citations for what they did,” Wuolle said. “They did break the law. They’re actually trespassing on the flagpole itself. They did something they weren’t authorized to do.”
On Thursday morning, city crews arrived and took the American flag back down, but did not replace it with the Tree City flag, leaving the flagpole empty.
Pooler said he, too, is a veteran and thought the city was complying with veterans’ wishes by moving the memorial. He said when the city took action to move the memorial, another group of veterans showed up, upset about what was happening.
“It’s always easy to blame government,” Pooler said. “That seems to be the passion this day and age. I grew up in this city and I know a lot of these people and I’ve known them all my life. They think they’re right and we think we’re right. We’ll see where we go.”
City Clerk Terry Sharp said the city planned to issue a statement on Tuesday. Sharp said the recall petitions were delivered to Shoshone County for verification, after which the veterans will have 75 days to collect signatures. The petition requires signatures from 20 percent of the registered voters in the last city election, Sharp said.
The soonest a recall election could be held is the first Tuesday in August, she said. It will be complicated, because the number of votes required is based on the number of votes each politician received. Sharp said in her 20 years with the city, she doesn’t remember another recall election.
“Every one of them will be different. It’s very costly and time-consuming,” Sharp said. “And taxpayers are footing the bill.”
Two Fernwood residents dead after Monday accident 
Albert on May 24 at 6:28 a.m.
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Why the city of Kellogg would do such a thing is beyond me. As a Vet I find this disgusting and my hat is off to Mr. Smith for his stand of support. Good job Mr. Smith.
Coffeemug on May 24 at 8:27 a.m.
Haven’t these guys cost taxpayers enough yet?
They need to find a hobby.
GoEagles on May 24 at 9:45 a.m.
Seems odd to take down the American flag and leave the tree city flag. Is tree city the towns nick name?
spokanada on May 24 at 9:50 a.m.
sounds like city council did what the veterans recommended. I guess the veterans can willingly break the law and not have to face the consequences. I agree with the Chief’s decision not to charge the vets but why did he provide a soundbite?
sharkgirl7 on May 24 at 4:17 p.m.
Spokanada: The city DID NOT do what the Vets asked. Why would you move a memorial? If that were the case, well then lets move “Ground Zero” somewhere else. We could even rename it!
spokanada on May 24 at 7:46 p.m.
I don’t know if you read the article but here:
“Mayor Mac Pooler said when city officials met with the veterans, they offered three options, one of which was to move the stone memorial to the new memorial park.”
Thanks for playing!
oneanddone on May 24 at 7:58 p.m.
This is how 2nd graders get along. Seems like even reasonable people want to act like the buffoons in DC. If something like this has been quietly going on for 50 years there’s no reason to change it. Sounds a lot more like some tail trying to wag the dog.
PoorSportsmansAlmanack on May 24 at 8:53 p.m.
Let’s not forget a monument erected in some town square is exactly the same as a monument at the site of a national tragedy. Really.
What a bunch of idolators and fascists in these veterans’ organizations.
misjustice on May 24 at 8:55 p.m.
“We made a simple request that it be removed,” Haynes said of the Tree City flag. “We never had an answer.”
So is Haynes saying that the council didn’t answer the Veteran’s request or that the Veteran’s did not have an answer to the dilema?
This is much ado over nothing…the memorial is still there, and the Veteran’s can put a new flag up…they made their point and voiced their disagreement with the city council…now let’s move on. It’s fishin’ season!
Another ‘news’ source reported that some Vets had made threats against the lives of city council members; is a piece of red, white, and blue cloth worth threatening a person’s life over?
Nomore on May 24 at 10:21 p.m.
I don’t care who anyone thinks they are. To take away from those who gave theirs lives, and much much more should be hung for treason.
Last I checked to remove an American flag for any other flag is TREASON.
Stand stong for you are only as strong as those who fight with and for you.
For the mayor for kellog to allow this just goes to show.. United we Stand.. Divided we fall.. TREASON!!!!
Nomore on May 24 at 10:28 p.m.
If anyone here would like to divuldge where their parents, grandparents and any other relative they may care about is burried.. please let me know so I can arrange for them to be “Relocated” and who cares what you think about it!.
Stop and Think people… We have these for a reason.. These Men and Women gave their lives willing and unwillingly to you and I along with our children. To simply say Oh Well thanks for playing .. or This is much ado over nothing… is the most foolish thing you can do. Do you love Freedom? Do you hate those that make it your Right? Do you do a damn thing to help them? Think twice before you bash those that love the USA and what we stand for. Better yet, think twice before you vote again as you seem to think OUR FREEDOM IS FREE!!
misjustice on May 24 at 11:01 p.m.
A human grave is NOT the same thing as land given by the city for a memorial, no Veterans are buried at that memorial…and the memorial was moved, not removed…
And for your information, I am a Veteran. I support the Kellogg Vets in their little protest, but withdraw support when they start threatening to shoot people on the city council…
Geeze, people, simmer down.
And is that a threat, ie think twice before you bash those that love the USA and what we stand for..?? Think twice about whether or not we can exercise free speech, or as in parrott what you think/feel, or WHAT? Violence? You’ll get a gun? What? Sounds fairly intolerable, kind of like the Taliban way of thinking…
misjustice on May 24 at 11:11 p.m.
What the city council did is NOT treason; the legal definition of treason follows:
The Constitution of the United States, Art. III, defines treason against the United States to consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort. This offence is punished with death. By the same article of the Constitution, no person shall be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/t103.htm
circle8 on May 25 at 6:07 a.m.
There is a serious problem with this story. The rules of displaying the US flag are covered by a specific code. On April 14, 2008 the U S Senate had a report updating the rules of display. I refer you to
a web site with the report. It is in PDF form. The site is: http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30243.pdf
The report is called:The United States Flag:
Federal Law Relating to Display
and Associated Questions
If you will check page 7, therein is section 7 sub para (f) which states.
(f) When flags of States, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the flag of the United States or to the United States flag’s right.
As you can see the display of two flags is permitted providing the display is on US soil and the US flag is at the top of the halyard.
Thank you
Patrick Bonner
Spirit Lake, Idaho
Veteran