The city council got the ball rolling this week on officially adopting a redesigned Tulsa flag unveiled last year.
The blue-and-beige flag with a gold line and shield, red circle, and Art Deco star has proved popular. Joey Wignarajah led the redesign campaign and said they’ve sold more than 1,000 flags and it’s popping up on merchandise, appearing in sports team uniforms, and being incorporated into local projects like the new Marshall Brewing Taproom.
"At this point, I think the community has adopted this sort of full stop," Wignarajah said.
An ordinance from Councilor Ben Kimbro would see the city formally adopt the flag. It specifies proportions and colors. It also maintains the flag's current copyright status so it can continue to be used in merchandise and other reuses.
A vote could come next week, but not every councilor is behind the change at this point. The redesign campaign leaned on social media and took votes via text. District 6 Councilor Connie Dodson said many of her constituents are older and not as tech-savvy as younger Tulsans.
"They are feeling horribly left out. My suggestion would be that the next opportunity that we have to put it on a ballot — not being a special election, but add it to an election — put it to a vote of the people, since it’s going to represent the entire city," Dodson said.
Councilor Jeannie Cue asked whether adoption would mean the current flag, a white field with the city seal, could no longer be used at occasions like Councilor David Patrick’s funeral. Kimbro said that flag or the council’s version could still be used.
"Hopefully decades from now when you pass away, the city would, per your wishes, be able to represent that seal on a flag at your service," Kimbro said. "Conversely, when I pass away in a few years, I would prefer the flag that we are intending to adopt."
