East Wenatchee council replaces banner program with city-only displays

EAST WENATCHEE — The East Wenatchee City Council voted unanimously March 3 to overhaul its street-banner policy, replacing a system that allowed community groups to request banners with a tightly limited list of displays tied only to city programs and events.

The change effectively ends the previous program under which groups could petition to display banners along city streets, a process that had recently drawn debate over whether Pride banners should remain among the causes that could receive approval without a council vote.

The original motion to discuss the banner policy, introduced by councilmember Ettore Castellente, was made under the auspices of potentially expanding the list of preapproved banners from “Sister City, Equity/Diversity, Federal Holidays, and City-Sponsored Events” to include possibly Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and others.

Under the newly adopted policy, banners placed on city property “are not a forum for free expression by the public.” Instead, the policy states that banners will be displayed only by the city itself and only to promote “the City’s own programs, policies, or causes.”

At the outset of the debate, at least one councilmember made clear that she did not see “equity/diversity” as being a cause that the City of East Wenatchee officially supports. Christine Johnson, who serves on the council alongside her husband Ken Arnold, was clear all the way back in September of 2025 that she personally opposes seeing Pride flags hung in East Wenatchee:

“But we are paying, we are using public funds to pay those people to go out, put those flags up, and take them down,” she said at the time. “In a policy that says this is city sentiment, it implies that it’s my sentiment and everybody else’s up here ... And that’s not true.”

During an October meeting, one East Wenatchee resident, Nicole Hankins Shepard, even offered to pay for the installation and removal of the banners herself, saying (through a proxy speaker), “I'm here to officially offer a directed donation of $1,200 to the City of East Wenatchee’s Department of Events to cover the cost of hanging and taking down the rainbow banners in East Wenatchee.”

But as it became clear that the council would be faced with potential lawsuits if they allowed groups to continue to petition for banners and then specifically excluded the Pride flags, the conversation shifted to the clarification that residents will not be allowed to “speak” for the city as a whole by using these displays as a “forum for free expression.”

The resolution authorizes banners tied to a short list of events and observances, including the First Nonstop Transpacific Flight anniversary, the Apple Blossom Festival, Classy Chassis, Pangborn Festival of Flight, Havana Nights, Winter Welcome & Happy Holidays, Wings & Wishes, Veterans Day, Independence Day and Memorial Day.

Mayor Jerrilea Crawford said the change significantly narrowed the scope of the banner program.

“It went from the community being able to request to hang banners to the City specifically listing which banners will be hung to reflect the ‘City’s own programs, policies, or causes,’” Crawford wrote in an email on March 4 explaining the policy change.

She noted that the list does not guarantee that banners will be produced or displayed for every event.

“It is important to point out that these are the ONLY banners that can be hung unless the council adjusts the policy,” Crawford wrote. “But it also doesn’t mean that all of these banners will be hung. It just keeps the opportunity to hang such a banner if the City creates one.”

According to the mayor, the city currently has banners for five of the authorized events: the transpacific flight anniversary, Apple Blossom Festival, Classy Chassis, Winter Welcome & Happy Holidays and Veterans Day.

Following the council’s vote, Crawford addressed the audience, explaining that while she cannot vote on council policy, she supported the change because of potential legal exposure tied to public display programs.

“As mayor, I do support this policy change because I believe it is the most responsible course of action to protect our city’s assets and financial stability,” Crawford said.

“In recent years, municipalities across the country have faced costly litigation and legal challenges over public display policies. Even when cities prevail, the expense and diversion of staff time can be significant.”

Crawford said her priority was protecting city resources and limiting potential liability while maintaining funding for city services.

“My foremost obligation is to safeguard our city’s resources so we can continue funding essential services without exposing taxpayers to unnecessary legal risk,” she said.

At the same time, the mayor acknowledged that the decision may be painful for some residents.

“I want to speak directly to those in our community who may feel hurt, disappointed, or marginalized by this decision,” Crawford said. “I understand that for many, diversity banners are not just decorations. They are important symbols of recognition, belonging, and affirmation.”

She added that removing them “may feel like a step backward or even personal rejection.”

“I want you to know you are heard, you are seen, and you are valuable members of our community,” Crawford said, adding that the city should continue working with community groups to find other ways to recognize diversity.

Two councilmembers, Matthew Hepner and Shayne Magdoff, expressed their disappointment with the vote, but reluctantly approved the measure as the preferable outcome, given the situation. Had the council followed Hepner’s urging back in September to move on without any changes to the previous policy, this vote would have been unnecessary, as no legal challenges to the previous policy had ever come up.

Indeed, at the October meeting, a former councilmember who had helped author the previous policy spoke in defense of it as constitutional.

It’s not yet clear whether the City will be required to revisit the policy any time a new cause that councilmembers agree to support comes up, or a new annual event is planned. At least one of the events included in the new approved list has a history of only a few years, so this may necessitate at the very least code updates as “the council adjusts the policy.”

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media