A nearly two-year process to replace Salem’s rarely used flag took a step forward Monday when Salem city councilors selected a cherry blossom and star motif from among four finalists for a new design.
Jordan Keagle, a lifelong Salemite and historian who recently finished his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, said he doesn’t have a design background, but is interested in vexillology, the study of flags. He approached his design from a historical perspective, he said.
“How do you take the history of a place and communicate at least some element of that on a flag in a meaningful way?” he said.
Councilors said they liked his design over other options because it incorporated cherry blossoms, a quintessential Salem symbol.
Keagle’s original design had the blossom flower in pink with gold elements in the star, but it was changed as a committee reviewed submitted designs. Councilor Chris Hoy on Monday suggested councilors adopt the flag with a stipulation that city staff would rework the color of the red cherry blossom so it’s more pink.
The vote was nearly unanimous for Keagle’s design. Only Councilor Tom Andersen voted for another option, which included the Oregon Capitol. Councilors Vanessa Nordyke and Virginia Stapleton were absent.
The process was spearheaded by Brian McKinley, a former city planning commission member and flag enthusiast who sought to retire Salem’s old flag, which is rarely displayed and violates most established principles of flag design.
Keagle said he watched nearly two hours of council meeting live Monday waiting for councilors to get to the flag portion, and was “yelling at my computer screen” as they discussed how to vote.
He said he’s pleased with the adoption, including the color changes.
“My hope is that this could catch on because our old flag, only three or four were ever made and it was never something that made sense in the community,” Keagle said. “This would be something that you see around town – I think that would be really fun.”
Brian McKinley holds up the flag for the city of Salem in city council chambers on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
-Rachel Alexander
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
