The Cole County Commission plans to have future discussions about the county's flag display ordinance to see if it might be able to make changes to avoid the controversy stirred up last week when the flag was not lowered after the Orlando mass shootings.
However, for now, the three commissioners said they will keep the ordinance as is.
"We got hit in the face," said Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher, who asked for the discussion to be put on Tuesday's meeting agenda. "I still would vote in favor of not lowering them. I just don't see a way where we can keep from offending someone."
The commission voted 2-1 on June 13 to keep the flags up after President Barack Obama issued a proclamation to have flags lowered following the Orlando nightclub shootings.
Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman voted for lowering the flags, while Western District Commissioner Kris Scheperle joined Hoelscher in voting against.
The next day, Scheperle changed his vote after the commission received many calls and social media messages against its decision, as well as the wide-ranging publicity about the decision.
"Like I said before, we are not bigots," Bushman said. "I just think it would have been better to be united on this."
Hoelscher and Scheperle said they made their decisions based on the Cole County Flag Display Ordinance of 2012. It was done to give direction on county policy regarding lowering flags to half staff, due to a series of proclamations by the president for lowering flags after mass shootings.
That ordinance states flags will be flown at half-staff on days such as Memorial Day and Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15; by order of the president upon the death of principal figures of the U.S. government or for a member of the U.S. armed forces; by order of the governor upon the death of a member of the U.S. armed forces from Missouri; and Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7.
The ordinance includes all the dates specified in the federal statute. The federal statute also says the president can issue a proclamation for other dates as deemed appropriate.
The commission ordinance states the county will lower the flag on those other occasions specified by the president, and also dates specified by the governor, by consensus of the commission. Until last week, the commission has lowered county flags only on the dates specified by Congress.
Those who called for the flags to be lowered noted the president's proclamation called for flags to be lowered "upon all public buildings and grounds."
At Tuesday's commission meeting, Jefferson City resident Leonard Steinman told commissioners he stood by his stance the commission had no right to ignore a directive from the federal government because they get federal money to help run the county government. The Vietnam-era veteran and Democratic gubernatorial candidate lowered the flags at the county courthouse himself for a brief time last week.
"What I did, I did to show distress," he said.
Steinman asked the commission to join him in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, something it doesn't typically do during meetings. Commissioners and others in attendance obliged.
Also speaking at the meeting was former county clerk Marvin Register, who asked Hoelscher if there had been a mass shooting at the American Legion Post would it still mean they would have to vote to lower the flag. Hoelscher said yes and noted the Legion did not lower its flag after the shooting.
"When the president tells you to lower the flag, you lower the flag," Register said. "You may not like him, but he's still the president."
When Register asked Scheperle why he changed his vote, the commissioner said, "I stand by my original vote, but as I said in the paper, I changed my position due to the negative attention this brought Cole County. I never wanted this to become as disruptive as it did."