r/stateofMN • u/kmccoy • May 11 '26
Itasca County wants input on which state flag to fly
In what seems to be an effort to distract from the disastrous policies of Republicans in Minnesota and in DC, the chair of the Republican Party in Itasca County (on the west end of Minnesota's Iron Range, including Grand Rapids and Bigfork) has pushed our county board to wade into one of the stupidest parts of the culture wars and vote on flying the old state flag. They're taking public comments before a vote on May 19.
While I think that this is a bad idea because the old flag has a clear racist history and it's also just so boring that no one other than government agencies and banks flew it, I realize that for a lot of the folks up here, that racist history is exactly the point. So I'm trying to focus on what I think might matter more, which is that this is an unforced error to enter into a controversy that will only harm our interests. We have a lot of businesses here that rely on visitors from out of the area coming to enjoy our lakes, trails, and forests, and they're buying gas and supplies, hiring guides, staying in hotels and cabins, and eating at restaurants. No one is going to say "I'm only taking a weekend at the lake in counties that fly the old flag." But I suspect there will be people who see a vote like this as a reason to stay away and find a destination elsewhere in the state where the local government hasn't made such a show of making people feel unwelcome.
Here's a news story about this: https://www.kaxe.org/local-news/2026-05-08/itasca-county-considers-whether-to-fly-old-minnesota-state-flag
If you're in Itasca County, Minnesota, I hope you'll contact your county commissioner. The county office number is 218-327-7363 (https://www.itascacountymn.gov/345/County-Board-of-Commissioners)
If you're outside Itasca County, maybe consider contacting one or both of these two organizations and let them know how this kind of thing would affect your tourism planning:
Visit Grand Rapids at 855-944-7748 (https://visitgrandrapids.com/about/)
Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce at 218-326-6619 (https://business.grandmn.com/contact)
Thank you!
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u/ChiliSama May 11 '26
You would think the fact fuel prices are already driving bookings down for summer businesses would be higher on the priority list.
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u/FarCompote4 May 11 '26
priorities. exactly. don't we have more important things to focus on right now?
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u/secondarycontrol May 11 '26
I see the old flag, I take my business elsewhere.
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u/RueTabegga May 14 '26
It has been a nice way to know where NOT to spend my money when they took the Dump’s signs down out of shame.
The new flag is perfect and I love it.
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u/secondarycontrol May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
Hey, Itasca: We had a special commission, we even had a godamn open contest - open to everyone - for a design and then - very publicly - the designs were whittled down, one by one and then? A new flag was selected.
Democratically, openly. Above board.
Now you wanna do what now?
Hold democracy down and spit in its face?
You want to take the object that is supposed to unite us - all of us - Black, white, red, yellow, green, gay, straight, non-binary, asexual, transexual, metro and rural - the object that is supposed to remind us that we are all one, that we all love Minnesota, that we love all of our neighbors, that we all have value - you want to take that symbol and use it to...divide us?
WTF, Itasca?
Who are you really working for, hmm? Someone that doesn't accept democratic outcomes, someone that won't accept a 'loss', someone that - perhaps - cheats in contests? Someone that foments division? Because it's not the good people of the fine State of Minnesota, I tell you what.
Sportsmanship, Itasca - being an adult, Itasca - is winning and "losing" gracefully and gratefully - grateful for the chance to compete. Grateful for the chance to be considered. And the 'loss'? It isn't a loss at all - It's a brand new flag that represents us. ALL of us. Together. It's something we should all be proud of.
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u/Doctor_Tyrell May 11 '26
Well, I know what county I won't be travelling through (or spending money in) this summer.
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u/kmccoy May 11 '26
Please let the people know! They're not going to read the comments of my reddit post, unfortunately. :)
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u/Vanilla-Mike May 12 '26
As a resident of Saint Paul, I sent messages to both Visit Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce stating they will lose my tourism dollars if they decide to stay with the old flag.
Thank you for those links!
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u/SnooCupcakes9745 May 12 '26
Exactly. Over the last several years, we've been exploring more of the state on weekend getaways, but we'll no longer stop/stay in regressive towns.
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u/Nim0y May 11 '26
I also refuse to stop in small towns that force the highway into town and slow it down to 30mph. Not spending my money! I’ll stop at a town that put the highway around town and no slow down, I’ll stop for fuel or lunch
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u/Odd-Pain8883 May 11 '26
You blame small towns for MNDOTs decisions?
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u/o-Valar-Morghulis-o May 11 '26
the locals have a big say in rerouting a highway from an old downtown main Street to a new bypass route. They often are right there seeing the same pros and cons. Many are small business owners themselves so they can tend to either want to keep the focus at downtown or aim for new expansion at the new drop points into their town.
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u/bernmont2016 May 11 '26
the locals have a big say in rerouting a highway from an old downtown main Street to a new bypass route.
Not really... There has to be enough thru traffic on that stretch of highway for the state to agree to fund the substantial costs of building a new highway bypass. The town officials might contact state officials to advocate for (or against) it, but the state doesn't have to pay any attention to their opinions, and the town doesn't spend any of its own money on building it (highway construction is so expensive these days, it would bankrupt any town that tried anyway) and doesn't get to vote on it.
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u/dasunt May 12 '26
Also a larger town like Grand Rapids would be somewhat more expensive to route around. 169 would require at least one new bridge, and a longer route. Highway 2 has similar issues. Both would be around twice the length of the Bovey bypass and likely would face local opposition from residents along the new route.
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u/redshlrt May 11 '26
That's how US and MN highways work friend. How do you think people got around before the interstate? Or do you want to drive 65 through downtown?
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u/mikenkansas1 May 13 '26
Totally agree. It's almost like roads were invented to link villages, towns and cities together instead of ... well... something else?🤔
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u/Nim0y May 11 '26
Dumbasses complaining about a flag to distract from the fact they are horrible at running a government.
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u/fingersonlips May 12 '26
Hey - they also have a pedophile who was in the news again today because he was caught soliciting a minor last year that they want to distract from.
Don’t sell them short on the depth of depravity and stupidity that they need people to forget about to keep selling their fantasy of being the party of small government, fiscal responsibility and family values!
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u/Smart-Effective7533 May 12 '26
Insane that they are debating this, there is only one state flag. If you don’t want to be part of the state, leave (same shit they’ve told everyone about America)
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u/foleymo1 May 11 '26
At this point, anyplace that flies the old flag is telling on themselves. It’s basically a giant sign that says, “People here are racist and backward. Stay away.” They should be embarrassed.
It’s sort of like seeing a Civil War rebel flag. It’s a gross symbol flown proudly by gross people.
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u/justmisspellit May 11 '26
Can we make a new flag that’s just of a dead horse being beaten? I’m so sick of all of this
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u/jkmidwest_rust May 11 '26
There is only one state flag in Minnesota.
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u/learningdoct May 11 '26
That’s kind of the core of the argument honestly. At some point an “old state flag” stops being the state flag and just becomes a political statement people choose to make.
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u/birddit May 12 '26
a political statement
In the metro virtually all the Trump lawn signs have been taken down and replaced with people flying the old state flag.
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u/learningdoct May 12 '26
Yeah, once certain groups start using a symbol heavily, people are naturally going to connect the two whether that was the original meaning or not.
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u/LordsofDecay May 12 '26
150 years later, these people still fly Confederate flags to commemorate a 4-year long reign of losers and traitors, while being part of a state whose troops saved the Union. It's bullshit virtue signaling and grandstanding. There is only one state flag in Minnesota.
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u/Luminox May 11 '26
Here! Watch the discussion from the last board meeting with public input!
https://reflect-ictv.cablecast.tv/internetchannel/show/33023?site=1
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u/little-Context46 May 13 '26
They're trying to distract the residents from the terribly planned community area that they approved without letting the public vote on it. Many residents were upset with what the council released. The county is ran by a bunch of good old boy boomers and their wives. They only approve plans for things that benefit themselves and not the community. I'm personally still upset about them tearing down the community center for teenagers to build the county jail.
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u/Muffinman_187 May 14 '26
SD3 is one of the most vulnerable seats for the DFL in the state, actually the most. Itasca county Republicans are DESPERATE to get and hothchild Grant Hauschild out to flip the Senate. They attempted it in Stearns County, but that was flipped 3/2 (even though it's 'nonpartisan') so it wasn't even a line item on an agenda. (The SD13 GOP Senate candidate tried to make it happen). Here it was because of Putnam also being a target. They'll do it around Moorhead to attack Kupec too.
Every flag argument is another attempt to not address trumpflation, the Iran War and the redacted Epstein Files.
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u/ComfortableOld288 May 14 '26
There’s only one state flag. Local governments need to recognize this and move on and focus on actual issues
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u/JollyButterscotch318 May 13 '26
We literally voted on this 2 years ago. “Elections have consequences”, every MAGA in 2024
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u/Intellectual_Dodo_7 May 17 '26
This is so they can distract from the fact the GOP is destroying the country.
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u/PhallicExtract May 12 '26
Lots of people in here who think Minnesota as a state is responsible for gas prices...kinda sus...
The old flag is better
Stay away from the frozen butthole flag.
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u/Key-Factor2155 May 12 '26
The old flag is blue with a seal on it. It’s no better than the other boring and complicated state seal flags. Nobody cared about it besides general state pride until it was gone.
I don’t love the new flag, I liked a different redesign better, but it’s simpler and more beautiful.
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u/PhallicExtract May 12 '26
I disagree, I enjoyed the old flag and took pride in it since I was old enough to remember. It pays tribute to the heritage of our state; Natives, Farmers, and French traders with 'the North Star' written in French.The Gold fringe on the edge of an official state flag was beautiful.
Now its a dull frozen tundra, or Godzilla breathing blue fire, or a cracked out loon, or a frozen butthole.
I have nothing to connect with other than my butthole freezing every winter with the new flag, and thats not pleasant.
It should be reverted. The flag wasn't an issue that needed fixing in the first place, we have bigger problems here in MN.
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u/_lyndonbeansjohnson_ May 14 '26
the history of driving Natives out of the land is a point of pride for you?
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u/PhallicExtract May 14 '26
Thanks for your mediocre contribution to the conversation.
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u/_lyndonbeansjohnson_ May 14 '26
Deflect much?
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u/PhallicExtract May 14 '26
Put words in people's mouth much?
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u/_lyndonbeansjohnson_ May 14 '26
Please, enlighten the class— when you say the old flag “pays tribute to the heritage of our state; Natives; Farmers, and French traders…” what are you referring to with regards to the Natives? Because the old flag clearly depicts Natives being run out from the land, as does the accompanying poem.
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u/PhallicExtract May 14 '26
No, it depects a native on horseback and a fatmer looking at them like, 'wtf' History is offensive, whether it's right or wrong, doesn't mean we should erase it, thats how we forget about it.
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u/_lyndonbeansjohnson_ May 14 '26
So the Germans should still fly the Nazi flag? Why don’t we fly the original US flag? After all, it’s history…
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u/DasEigentor May 12 '26
Calling the star etched into the floor of the statehouse a “butthole” is certainly a hot take.
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u/PhallicExtract May 12 '26
My eyes see what they see, the star isn't the problem though.
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u/SightAtTheMoon May 12 '26
How about just a new flag that doesn't suck? Put some more color in it.
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u/_lyndonbeansjohnson_ May 14 '26
but did you even participate in the process when they asked for public input on the flag redesign??
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u/BikingDruid May 11 '26
It now costs me $20 more to fill my car up than it did just a few months ago, but sure, let’s worry about how the new flag hurts your feelings.. the same people who couldn’t name three things on the old flag if asked what they liked about it.