Zumbrota to return to original Minnesota flag on city property

ZUMBROTA, Minn. (KTTC) – The Zumbrota City Council voted Thursday to fly the 1983 version of the Minnesota state flag on city property instead of the 2024 updated version.

The meeting brought forth the concerns of several residents on both sides of the issue. About a dozen people addressed the council prior to the discussion.

The resolution, which passed 3-2, was originally brought up by Councilmember Kevin Amundson on March 5. One of the councilors was not present at the March 5 meeting, leading the council to postpone the request until the full council could vote on it.

Amundson believed the 2024 redesign “was marred by significant shortcomings.”

“When the state legislature appointed a committee, they did it in a very partisan fashion and there was lack of public engagement,” said Amundson. “There wasn’t as much solicitation of the voters as I believe was necessary.”

The Minnesota state flag was changed in 2024, after it was chosen by a special committee made by the DFL-controlled legislature in 2023. It updated the 1983 design, which has its roots back to 1893, showing an Indigenous person riding off into the sunset while a white settler plows a field with a rifle located nearby. Many Native Americans have said the scene is offensive.

The new flag is visually simpler, consisting only of three colors: Deep blue, light blue, and white. They represent the night sky, water, and Polaris, after which the North Star State gets its nickname.

Yet, Amundson said the new design lacks both a soul and nods to the heritage of the state. He points to the Great Seal of Minnesota, which was also updated in 2024, as one which properly displayed Minnesotan heritage.

“The new seal actually reflected many of the aspects of heritage that go on in Minnesota,” noted Amundson. “The new flag doesn’t incorporate any of those elements. And so, it’s really a pushback against culture and our heritage and our legacy that we need to be able to pass on to the next generation.”

As for the criticism the flag is offense, Amundson said everyone “is accosted” by feelings of discomfort.

“When we talk about history particularly, there’s no perfect, nice, wonderful history,” noted Amundson. “We have the history that brought us to the point that we have, and we have to give thanks to God for everything, including the difficult circumstances, the uncomfortable circumstances.”

Amundson believes the symbol of the North Star represents providence, calling all Minnesotans toward a purpose we are supposed to be directing to.

“When we look at history and we see the bad things that happen, we should objectively look at that, and we should learn from it.”

He also said the interpretation of the flag as the Native American being removed from his land, is wrong.

“Every single depiction all the way back to the territorial seal represents the Indian going southward, not westward, not being driven off his land,” he stated.

Amundson also points to the Hazelwood Republic, an 1856 development by Dakota peoples in an attempt to “westernize” themselves, as what the original seal on the flag desired to bring forward.

“They had their own representative legislature,” said Amundson of the Hazelwood Republic. “They had their own elected president. Their whole purpose was to bring civilization to their own people. That was their hope. They wanted to assimilate into modern culture. That’s what the original seal represented was that desire to actually bring forward the ideals that everyone had this nobility and we’re moving it all forward together.”

Zumbrota is not the only city to push back against the new flag. Champlin, North Branch, St. Francis, and Wadena have all opted to fly the old flag instead of the new one. It was Chaplin’s decision which Amundson used as inspiration to present his resolution.

While he talked with the mayor, Mayor Todd Hammel ended up voting against the resolution. Hammel said he had received several messages throughout the week about the possible change. He said he wasn’t sure it was the role of the city to change back what had already been changed by the state.

“Do we really have the right or the concern to change or do differently than what the state has,” asked Hammel.

Besides the role of local government, Hammel also noted there were other priorities the city of Zumbrota needs to focus on, even at the meeting itself.

“We have the pool that we’re short on funding,” listed Hammel. “We have a new 37 unit apartment complex going to start breaking ground here in the next month or so. We got a big reconstruction on several blocks in town that we’re talking about bids tonight or opening that up. That’s a bigger concern than me than worrying about what flag we fly.”

Nevertheless, the vote passed 3-2, with Hammel and Councilwomen Joan Bucher the only two dissenters. The mayor, respecting the outcome of the vote, said the plan is to raise the new flag on Monday morning.

ZUMBROTA, Minn. (KTTC) – The voting for which flag will fly on Zumbrota city property has come and gone.

The Zumbrota City Council voted on Thursday to return to the original Minnesota flag, with the vote passing 3-2.

Mayor Todd Hammel and Councilwoman Joan Bucher voted against the return to the original flag, while Councilmen Bob Prigge, Kevin Amundson and Fred Raasch voted in favor of it.

This story will update with additional information as it becomes available.

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