HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – After months of deliberations and statements from several residents, the Hasbrouck Heights Council voted 4-2 not to raise the Pride Flag on the flag pole at Borough Hall Tuesday evening. The council met in executive session to hear from Borough Attorney Richard Magliare and discuss the issue before coming back into session.
Magliare’s opinion is privileged, which is why the council met in executive session, but came back and Hasbrouck Heights Mayor Jack DeLorenzo explained the reason for the meeting and asked if any of the Council members would like to make a motion.
After stating that the putting the matter up for a motion had never been discussed in the executive session, Councilman Christopher Hillmann entered the motion raise the Pride Flag during Pride month in June which was seconded by Councilman Steven Reyngoudt.
A pride flag typically refers to any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBTQ community, in this case referring to the notion of gay pride. The rainbow flag is the most widely used LGBTQ flag and symbol in general. June is recognized as Gay Pride Month.
When put to a vote, without public discussion or debate, Council members Michael Sickels, Josephine Cioccia, Ron Kistner and Russell Lipari voted against the motion, while Hillmann and Reyngoudt voted for it.
Later during the public comment session of the meeting, Hasbrouck Heights resident Jason Hodrinsky, who has been vocal in pushing for an answer on whether or not the flag would be flown since February, offered his legal opinion on the matter, and what he believed, was the basis for the decision, Shurtleff v City of Boston, before being cut off by Mayor Delorenzo. DeLorezo stated that they were not going to debate the issue.
They further clashed when Hodrinsky attempted to ask each of the Council people who voted against the issue to defend their position., with Hodrinsky challenging the Mayor if he had the authority to dictate whether the Council could answer.
Shurtleff v City of Boston had been mentioned by Borough Attorney Emeritus Ralph Chandless at the April 13th meeting as a reason Hasbrouck Heights needed to exercise legal caution, and it was not just a matter of raising a flag to recognize a particular cause or group. (As Maglaire’s advice to the council is privileged, it can only be speculated that this was the basis of the vote.)
At the last meeting, DeLorenzo stated that he was in favor of raising only the three official flags government property recognized by the State of New Jersey – the United States Flag, the New Jersey State Flag, and the POW Flag and Borough property. He encouraged that anyone on private property was welcome to fly the flag if they chose.
