SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Capital City will redesign its oft-derided flag.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall issued a call on Friday for a redesign of Salt Lake City's flag. In an interview with FOX 13, she said many city residents have felt the flag is lacking. So a commission is being set up to take submissions and utilizing the best advice from vexillologists (people who are experts on flags).
"It needs to be able to be reproduced basically by an 8-year-old. It shouldn't have writing and words on it. These are not things that we see embodied in our current flag, so we're looking for a design that Salt Lakers can get behind, not just get under," she said. "We hope to see it flying around the city by the end of this year."
Mayor Mendenhall said the goal is to have a flag that residents can adopt it as a symbol, like Chicago's iconic city flag. The current one, with its blue and green blocks and clip-art style mountains and skyline with the words "Salt Lake City" hasn't exactly inspired.
Even Mayor Mendenhall said she isn't exactly a fan.
"I've never felt connected to that flag," she told FOX 13.
Mayor Mendenhall is launching a design contest for the next 60 days. Elementary students will get letters asking them to contribute and it is open to all. By the end of June, the commission will take all the designs and whittle them down. Then, residents will be asked to rank them and provide feedback for design elements and what might need to be changed.
The mayor will be on the commission, which also includes:
Salt Lake City Council Chair Chris Wharton
Ted Kaye, North American Vexillological Association, Author of Good Flag, Bad Flag
Felicia Baca, Director, Salt Lake City Arts Commission
Luna Banuri, HR commissioner for SLC (HRC) and ED of Utah Muslim Civic League
Angela Brown, Executive Editor, SLUG Mag, Executive Director, Craft Lake City
Samantha Eldridge, Executive Assistant, Student Development and Inclusion, University of Utah, and Indigenous Community Advocate
John Hartvigsen, Vexillologist, Colonial Flag Foundation & Company, and President, North American Vexillological Association from 2014-2017
Jorge Rojas, Director of Learning and Engagement, Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA)
"Salt Lake City and our residents are full of opinions," the mayor said. "We want to hear those opinions. That's why we're opening it up for a public rating after we whittle those down. Surely not everyone will agree, but we hope to have a good consensus from our city residents."
Information on submitting a new design for Salt Lake City's flag can be found here.
