Local officials appear to be on different wavelengths when it comes to one seemingly simple question, who is responsible for lowering and raising the American flag outside the Amesbury Public Library.
The issue came to light recently after a local Air Force veteran who served during President Jimmy Carter’s administration noticed the flag outside the Main Street municipal building is still at full-staff following Carter’s passing on Dec. 29.
“I’m going to be walking up Mason’s Court looking at the flag at full-mast on Thursday morning on the day of Jimmy Carter’s funeral going ‘what has happened to America?’” Phillip Winders said.
The library’s flag is within eyesight of another American flag being flown by a nearby bank at half-staff. It is also is in stark contrast to its counterpart near the Amesbury Fire Department which is also flying at half-staff.
Following the former president’s death at age 100, President Joe Biden ordered flags at all federal properties to be flown at half-staff for 30 days. Around the same time, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey ordered flags at all state buildings to be flown similarly.
City Communications Director William Donohue said the city is adhering to Healey’s gubernatorial order to keep main or administration building flags at half-staff.
“Amesbury’s City Hall does not have a flagpole. As such, the pole at the firehouse has been identified as our designated flagpole for the city with fire fepartment staff as the caretakers who monitor the flag orders,” Donohue said.
Donohue went on to say that many flags across the city do not have caretakers.
Winders, a 68-year-old veteran who served from 1977 to 1981, was walking down Main Street a few days when he noticed the flag.
“You can see the public library flag at full mast and the flag in front of the bank at half-mast,” Winders said.
Bothered by its appearance, Winders said he contacted Amesbury Public Library Director Aimie Westphal and asked for an explanation as to why a private institution such as a bank would lower its flag to honor Carter but not the library.
“They said we’ll refer this to DPW (Department of Public Works), apparently they don’t have a key,” Winders said, referring to library staff.
When asked for comment, Westphal directed all inquiries back to Donohue.
“He is the point person on this topic,” Westphal said.
Unsatisfied, Winders called City Hall on Tuesday and was told by a member of Mayor Kassandra Gove’s office that the only flag the administration was responsible for was near the fire station.
“They did thank me for my service, but they did tell me as far as they were concerned the flag wasn’t coming down,” Winders said.
As a veteran who served under Carter and lost friends overseas, Winders said that having the flag at full-staff is “a particularly biting insult.”
“This is the hill I’m choosing to die on. Not every soldier gets to choose which hill they want to die on,” Winders said.
City Councilor President Scott Mandeville said the city may have missed a detail when it came to the library flag.
“We do the best we can and try to keep track of everything and do these things, and sometimes, unfortunately we do have events or situations that slip through the cracks and don’t always have the resources immediately available to address and correct,” Mandeville said.
He did share his belief that the flag should be lowered, especially with a veteran coming to specifically request it.
“We should lower the flag to half-staff in honor and memoriam of President Carter and all that he’s done for this country,” Mandeville said.
Reached for comment, Director of Veteran’s Services Kevin Hunt said an email was sent out from Gove’s office on Jan. 2 ordering all city flags to be lowered to half-staff until Jan. 28.
“So it sounds like the library is out of compliance,” Hunt said.
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