The Rock Springs City Council’s selection of a new design for the city’s official flag has stirred political controversy, pitting a contest meant to engage the city’s youth against accusations from one city council member that the flag adoption is a publicity stunt during an election year.
Last fall, Rock Springs announced a city flag contest was open to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Students were invited to design a new city flag that captured the theme, “Many Cultures, One Community: Rock Springs Together.”
Rock Springs Mayor Max Mickelson said the contest was about getting young people involved in the community, in a state where young people leave at nearly twice the national rate.
But City Councilman Rick Milonas called the contest a political stunt during an election year and said the flag was “a terrible fit for our community.”
The flag, yellow with a green stripe down the center and a blue trapezoid on its left studded with two yellow stars — one with five points and one with six points — symbolizes Rock Springs’ 56 nationalities and pays homage to Sweetwater County’s Pilot Butte, according to its 17-year-old designer, Brandon Swigart.
The city council adopted the flag as the official Rock Springs City flag in an 8-1 vote at its Jan. 20 city council meeting. Milonas was the sole “no” vote.
Unexpected Controversy
Milonas expressed doubt over the vision behind the flag, quoting part of the resolution to adopt it: “the proposed flag design reflects the unique heritage of Rock Springs, including its cultural diversity, industrial roots, geographic setting, and enduring spirit.”
“I don't see it,” Milonas told Cowboy State Daily. “Not one little bit!”
Milonas told Cowboy State Daily the flag looks like it’s from a third world country.
“I don’t know about you,” he said in a video posted on social media, “but it doesn’t make me very proud. Actually, I think it’s the most butt-ugly thing I’ve ever seen.”
Baffled By Reaction
Council member Rob Zotti told Cowboy State Daily he was baffled by Milonas’ reaction to the flag, calling the contest a “pat on the back to the youth of our community.”
The contest was an idea the mayor had to involve the youth of the community, he said, an opportunity to “show some pride and know that their voices matter.
“I am in support of the kids of our community who put something forward and showed their best effort,” he said. “As a council member, I thought, yes, this is the right thing to do.”
Zotti pointed out Wyoming’s high suicide rate and said the contest was a solid effort on the mayor’s part to get the youth involved in any way and show they matter.
“To me, that’s what this was all about,” he said.
The mayor insisted that the contest was about engaging the city’s youth and not about ideology.
“Research shows people stay more connected to places where they had a chance to participate early on,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
Buying Votes?
But Milonas expressed outrage over the contest, telling Cowboy State Daily that the mayor “took it upon himself” to host the contest.
“He did it all on his own,” Milonas said, from hand-selecting the judging committee to paying the winner out of his own pocket.
“I say he’s buying votes, Milonas told Cowboy State Daily. “Something as serious as a city flag should be left to professionals, not students with the mayor's coaching.”
Zotti disagreed.
“I’m at a loss of how a flag contest is a publicity stunt for votes. To me, that’s a stretch,” he said.
Demas praised the mayor for his generosity.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “It didn’t come out of any city budget.”
Mickelson freely admitted to paying the $250 winning reward from his own pocket.
“This was a small expense to support youth civic engagement and one I was happy to fund myself,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “A modest award tells a young person that their time, effort, and talent matter, and that their contribution is taken seriously. Creative work has value.”
Now What?
Mickelson said disagreement is to be expected. But there is a fair and proper way to disagree in public.
“What concerns me is dismissing youth civic engagement and mischaracterizing the purpose or process of the contest,” he said. “When a student participates in good faith, our responsibility as adults in leadership is to encourage them, not discourage them.”
Zotti added: “It just didn’t feel right, attacking the efforts of these kids. It’s really disheartening to see that.”
Milonas countered: “I'm sorry Brandon Swigart got caught in the middle of this publicity stunt.” But, he added, people hate the flag. He pointed to comments on news articles about it and Milonas’ own social media posts as proof.
Milonas pointed out he was the sole dissenting vote against the flag. “So we have a new city flag,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “Not much I can do now except let voters know what the mayor is up to so when November 3 rolls around the people know who to vote for.”
Mickelson said the flag contest continues to be a positive thing for the city.
“Words from elected officials carry weight,” Mickelson said. “They should be used to lift young people up, not to make a child the collateral damage of adult disagreements.
“Whatever happens next,” he said, “our real success here was getting young people involved in civic life. That part worked, and I am grateful for it.”
The Contest
The contest drew 50 submissions from students. Mickelson said he assembled a committee to choose a contest winner. The committee comprised “active community members with broad political views,” Mickelson said, “to ensure the process reflected multiple perspectives.
“In our current state of politics being so personal and often mean, it was a chance for everyone to come together and celebrate our youth,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
Council member Jeannie Demas was on the judging committee. The committee narrowed the 50 submissions down to 10, she told Cowboy State Daily. From there, they chose the winner.
“I wouldn’t have chosen that flag if I did not feel it was a good representation for our community,” Demas said.
The committee took into consideration clarity and symbolism of the designs, Mickelson said, as well as how well the designs represented Rock Springs and whether the designs would work on different materials.
“There were some really good submissions,” he said.
The Announcement
Mickelson himself announced the winner in a surprise appearance at Rock Springs High School.
“Showing up at the school sent a message: we see you, your contribution counts, and civic participation means something here,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
A video posted on social media shows the mayor entering a classroom and addressing the class.
“Rock Springs does not have a flag,” he told a class. “I thought it would be really really great to open this up to our K-12 students.
“Who’s the next group that’s going to move this community and this country forward? It’s you guys, sitting in this room,” he said.
With that, he announced the contest winner: Swigart, a high school junior.
The mayor invited Swigart to the front of the class to share his experience with the contest.
A surprised Swigart joined the mayor up front and explained the winning design. He based the colors off the city of Rock Springs logo, he said. He wanted his flag design to represent Rock Springs’ 56 nationalities. He intended to add 56 stars to one part of the design, he said, but quickly realized 56 stars wouldn’t fit.
“So I opted for one 5-point star and one 6-point star,” he said.
Then, Swigart flipped the flag so it was vertical.
“The yellow part becomes Pilot Butte,” he said.
Swigart received $250 for his winning design.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
