Minnesota is getting rid of its state flag, and Lee Herold couldn't be happier
Jun. 6—ROCHESTER — Minnesota's current state flag is heading toward the dustbin of history, to be replaced with a new flag that will be proposed and unveiled later this year.
Lee Herold, owner of Herold Flags in Rochester, has been the state's foremost advocate for a redesign of the emblem at the center of the state flag for more than three decades.
"I was pretty happy. But I didn't feel like celebrating. I recognized that the hard work is ahead," Herold said when the law for adopting a new state flag passed in St. Paul.
The current flag, which dates back to 1858, will be retired May 11, 2024, and the new one adopted by a 13-member commission will officially be unfurled on that same day.
The recently concluded session will be remembered for the
progressive stamp that the DFL-led Legislature put on state policy and law.
But the changes were also symbolic in nature. And the prospective jettisoning of the current flag was the leading example.
The growing discontent over the Minnesota flag didn't arise from a single complaint. Critics considered the flag busy, with so many dates, images and symbols packed into the seal that it was illegible and confusing.
The biggest problem for a growing chorus of critics was its imagery, showing a Native American man on horseback riding toward a setting sun while a pioneer plows a field, his rifle propped against a nearby stump. It was a painful reminder for many Indigenous Minnesotans of their treatment and marginalization.
If nothing else, it lacked the simplicity and boldness in color that make many state flags, such as the ones used in Texas and Maryland, memorable and recognizable.
"It is not a good design," Herold said about the state flag. "You can tell by people's reaction to it. Most people use it from a sense of loyalty, but it does not attract people. There are many states that have ones that attract people. And that's a big difference."
The new law, part of a larger omnibus bill, puts the state on a glide path toward a new flag — unless a future Legislature intervenes. Which is unlikely. Under the law, a 13-member commission will be appointed by Aug. 1, 2023, and issue its report to the Legislature with its recommended new flag no later than Jan. 1, 2024.
The new flag would be adopted on May 11, the date Minnesota became a state.
The only way the process for adopting a new flag could be derailed is if the Legislature were to reject its recommendation. That would require majorities in both chambers and the signature of the governor. An amendment to the Senate bill would have required the Legislature to actively adopt the proposed new flag, but the amendment did not survive the conference committee process.
Herold has his own candidate for a new flag. Created by Herold and the Rev. William Becker, the flag shows a yellow five-point star with a blue background and green and wavy horizontal stripes. Called the North Star flag, it has been endorsed and promoted by politicians and newspapers, as a future state flag.
Herold acknowledges the awkward position he will find himself in if he is appointed to the commission, and thus becomes a person who can both influence the selection of the next state flag and is a co-creator of one of the candidate flags. But he promises to be impartial and pick the best flag presented if he is on the commission.
"If there's a better design, I will endorse the best design," he said.
The issue divided the parties during the session, with DFLers supporting a new design and Republicans rejecting it.
Many will find it difficult to reconcile themselves to a new flag. Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, reflected the attitude of Republicans by voting against getting rid of the current flag.
"I like the flag that we have. That's the flag I'm going to fly for the rest of my life," Davids said.
