One of the original city of Cleveland flags is shown.
Zachary Smith/TNS
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Do people think Cleveland is due for a new city flag? Now is the time to find out. The civic project launched by CLE Flag earlier this year is offering up three alternative designs from contest finalists for a public vote against the current flag originally designed in the late 1800s.
After the submission process ended on July 24, the three finalist designs were chosen by a ten-member committee with the assistance of an advisory board that included designers and vexillologists, or flag experts, out of a pool of over 570 submissions to the project.
Brian Lachman, CLE Flag Project co-organizer, said the number of submissions came from a range of people from different ages and backgrounds. This was a result of the CLE Flag Project reaching out to the Cleveland Public School system and the Cleveland Public Library, as well as having tables at events like the Asian Lantern Festival, Pride in the CLE and even open mic nights.
And just as anybody could submit a flag to the contest, anyone can vote for it — even if they don’t live in Cleveland or Northeast Ohio, or aren’t from here.
Lachman said it’s more about people “having a relationship to Cleveland” than necessarily living in Cleveland. This is reflected in the voting process, in which people must answer questions about where they live and their relationship with the city. However, “I don’t live in Northeast Ohio” and “I don’t have any connection to Cleveland” are options.
Once the final vote is counted sometime at the end of September, the CLE Flag Project will lobby for the new design to replace the old flag, should it not beat out the other three designs in the vote. A final date for voting has not yet been decided, partly because the CLE Flag Project wants to hear from voters as much as possible before presenting it to the city council.
“A big part of this project is getting feedback and engagement from the community in Cleveland and that’s the only way this becomes successful,” Lachman said. “Our goal is to get as much information from that vote and follow through with what Clevelanders say on those votes.”
Cleveland’s current flag was designed by Susan Hepburn, an 18-year-old art student who submitted it to a Plain Dealer-sponsored contest. It was approved in 1896 by Mayor Robert McKisson, who added the words “Progress and Prosperity” to the original design.
The three finalist flags are a bit more abstract than the original design, although rich in symbolism, including references to Cleveland being known as “The Sixth City” and “The Forest City,” Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland’s music scene.
Voters rate each of the four flag designs on a 1-10 scale.
Each finalist received a $1,000 prize for making it to this point in the contest. An additional $2,000 will be awarded to the final winner for a first-place prize of $3,000.
